


This Time, Together

by rhapshie



Series: Memoir of the Living [1]
Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Hint of Ogata/Sai because I'm gross, Illustration included, Only tagging the prominent characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-03-20 16:58:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 111,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13722060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhapshie/pseuds/rhapshie
Summary: Sai returns, this time as a human and he's ready to take on the world of professional Go together with Hikaru.





	1. Nigiri

**Author's Note:**

> I sketched something out a few days ago and thought of a story to accompany it. What would be better than a fanfic to commemorate? Drawing at the end of the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Preface:**  
>  \- This story will be using British English spelling  
> \- There will not be any pairings aside from hint of Ogata/Sai  
> \- No beta. I apologise for grammatical errors  
> \- Illustration will be included in most of the chapters  
> \- Enjoy the ride!

It had been precisely 3 days after Japan’s definite victory against the most formidable opponent in Hokuto club, renowned in the Go world as the current leading nation in the said sport—the Koreans. Of course, it went without saying that it hadn’t been exactly a smooth road for the 17 years old professionals Touya Akira, Shindou Hikaru and Yashiro Kiyoharu. Poor Yashiro had to endure a few weeks of pure torture as a result of the other two’s constant bickering. Sometimes he thought that one of them would lift a Goban and slam the other with it right across the face, but thank god that both of them loved Go far too much to start reducing such expensive and precious equipment into a weapon of cold-blooded murder.

Their differences aside, Touya and Shindou had continuously improved due to their strong rivalry. The matches between them had been back and forth for a while now, even the official ones and none letting the other getting the better of the other for even one second. It was intense, that was for sure, but it was also refreshing, to say the least. If it wasn’t for his passion for Go and desire to keep up with the first and second board, Yashiro probably would have packed and left.

“You sure gave Ko Yeong Ha a run for his money, Shindou! Way to go.” Waya grinned as he grabbed three equal length fries from the carton and shoved them into his mouth. “Do you remember two years ago when you forced your way into the first board and lost? Or last year when you _totally_ bombed on the preliminary and ended up on the third board?”

“Don’t you dare talk to me about it.” Hikaru glared at the brunette with his mouth full of hamburger. Swallowing thickly, he continued, “It wasn’t my fault that I got food poisoning, alright? I should’ve sued that sushi store. I knew ramen was a better option.”

 “Well, that hardly matters anymore.” Isumi chuckled, voice full of mirth as he took a sip of his soda. “What matters now is that Shindou won the first board fair and square without wriggling his way into it.”

“Mmhm,” The boy with the bleached bang agreed with his arms crossed and forehead scrunched together to form a frown. “You know what’d be cool though?” His expression quickly brightened up. “A Hokuto cup for the over 18s. 19-40 or something like that. Isumi-san would have a chance to play internationally too, wouldn’t that be awesome?”

The raven-haired male rested his chin on his palm, eyes gazing dreamily at the ceiling. “It sure would be great. I can only imagine the strengths of the Chinese and Koreans.”

“Yeah, that’s cool and all but think of the competition.” Waya cut sharply as he popped the lid of the large cup open to check if there was still any soda left. “19-40, or even 35, means that Isumi would have to play against Ashiwara 5-dan, Kurata 7-dan, Shirakawa 8-dan and Ogata Judan. You can’t tell me that’s not some bloody stiff competition.”

“What, are you doubting Isumi-san?” Shindou retaliated, softly slamming his fist on the table, mildly offended that Waya of all people would think that Isumi would lose.

“I’m not! I’m just saying that there are some crazy people Isumi gotta beat before he can even touch the third board.”

The man in topic merely stared at the two with an expression that said “I’m over here, you know?” but remained silent and let the two go at it with their screaming competition. Shindou really had a knack for baiting people into an argument.

After they both had enough and the other customers freaked out plenty, they threw themselves on the seat once more and Shindou’s expression brightened again. That only worried Isumi even further. One more crazy idea that would result in the same situation, he thought.

“Well, what’ about the over 40s Hokuto Cup? Imagine Touya-sensei and Kuwabara Honinbo playing. That would be a match to watch.”

This time, Waya’s eyes shone with excitement at that concept. “Maybe Zama Oza and Morishita-sensei as well. That _would_ be absolutely amazing.” He crossed his arms, nodding in agreement. “Now, if only Sai would join, that would be even better.”

“But Sai would join the 19-40s!” Protested Shindou before he stammered, noticing that he said too much on the spur of the moment. “I mean… you don’t know how old Sai is and all. He might be under 40 for all you know.”

“Don’t bother, Shindou,” Waya scoffed after hearing the defensive statement. “It’s kinda public knowledge that you know Sai at this point. You’re just secretive because you don’t want anyone else to learn from him. How selfish.”

“Waya!” Isumi smacked the brunette’s shoulder before tilting his head towards Shindou, who clearly took it personally. “We don’t know his side of the story. You’ve said too much.” The older male reprimanded. To keep a secret as desired as that, the situation must be grave. Perhaps Sai couldn't physically walk in broad daylight due to some illness, or perhaps physical impairment. It just wasn’t fair to pressure Shindou into spilling the beans.

“You’re right, you’re right,” Waya muttered and looked at his friend. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just desperate for information. He disappeared right after such beautiful game against the Meijin, after all. But if you don’t want to talk about it, I shouldn’t pry.”

It didn’t go unnoticed by Isumi’s sharp eyes how Shindou gripped the fan he had been carrying around for years so tight his knuckles turned white. Perhaps something bigger happened. He could feel his eyes widening involuntarily. Could it be that Sai was _dead_? Isumi stole a glance at the boy who sat opposite of him, eyes cast to the fan and he could find no other possibilities.

Shindou sighed after a pregnant pause and looked at the two in front of him, smiling weakly. “Well, whatever. I need to go now. I have tutoring session in a couple of hours and I should get ready.” The boy grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder before he said his goodbye and left the fast food joint.

Seemingly troubled by what he had done, Waya groaned and leaned back. “I’ve done it.”

Isumi looked at the brunette and sighed. “I think it’s about time you let go of your Sai obsession. It’s really hurting Shindou.”

“But aren’t you curious, Isumi-san?!” The other male retorted with his voice raised and frustration clear. He turned his body so he could rest his elbow on the backrest of the bench. “Why isn’t he a pro? Why did he just suddenly appear on NetGo, how did Shindou know him and why did he disappear?”

“It’s not our place to intrude in Shindou’s private life.” The black-haired man stated firmly. They were friends, sure, but even among best of friends, there were bound to be things that would still be kept a secret, and this was one of them. “I think it’s better if you focus on your own Go.”

.

It had been officially 2 years since Sai disappeared from his life on the 5th of May. The pain and grief had mostly subsided but when he did think of it, it never really stopped constricting his chest in the most agonising way possible. Even after he thought he had moved on, deep down he was still blaming his own selfishness for not letting the genius play, perhaps that was the only way to prevent him from disappearing.

Sai had really made a legacy for himself. Even after 2 years of absence from NetGo, people still chase his shadows. Forums were still active, buzzing with people discussing his small collection of kifu, move by move, the most known being Sai vs Toya Koyo, of course. Not everyone had watched that match, but those who did most likely would not ever forget it. Video analysis was made on video hosting websites with hits in the tens of thousands, countless Go articles published and thousands of players, amateurs and professionals alike enamoured.

Shindou would never admit it, but he had secretly contributed to the kifu collection. He had submitted 3 of his games against Sai that he remembered on the top of his head, which led people to wonder how he laid his hands on it. Shindou merely said that they were from Sai’s earlier games in other NetGo servers. He loved how enchanted everyone was for a man whose identity shrouded in mystery, he felt a certain pride in knowing that he was the only one who had ever met and learned from Sai. What wouldn’t he give to have it all back.

Sometimes he still saw him in his dreams, the same Sai with the gentlest and most comforting smile as if telling him that what happened wasn’t his fault. He never once said a word, but Shindou was content to be able to see him and telling him everything about the matches he competed in and how far he had gotten.

“Sensei?” The 14 years old girl under his teaching queried when she noticed that Shindou had been staring at the Go board for the past 2 minutes, completely unmoving.

“Huh?” Snapped back to reality, Shindou cleared his throat and leaned away from the Go-ban while trying to find something to say. “Hmm, this hane is a bit rash. If you play here and here first, you’ll have a stronger wall to start attacking. Remember that sometimes you have to give up part of your territory in order to build a stronger one. It’s not always a loss.”

Concluding the hour-long lesson, Shindou sighed and walked towards the train station, still not being able to stop thinking of Sai. To an innocent passerby, it would seem like Shindou was doing a whole lot of reading from the way he kept flicking through pages of the book on his lap, but he wasn’t processing a single word on it. His mind wandered about what would happen if Sai was reborn as a whole man, alive. There would be an uproar in the Go world. He would, without doubt, join the pro test and pass with a perfect score, then go up the ladder completely undefeated until he steals all titles from under everyone’s noses. It would be quite the feat to choose which he would go by.

“I’m home.” The boy huffed and took off his shoes, putting them neatly on the rack before walking inside where his mother was watching a drama on the TV.

“Oh, Hikaru!” She got to her feet upon seeing her son back home after a week of absence. “I saw the result of your match. I’m so proud of you! How was your trip back?”

“Yeah, it was alright.” Shindou shrugged, taking the heavy backpack off and walked upstairs. “Oh right. My share of 6 million yen is gonna be in the bank tomorrow!” He raised his voice to ensure that his mother would hear him and wouldn’t come to the Go association the day after asking how he got that much money.

“6 millio—“ He faintly heard her voice fading away in shock. As of now, he already had a cumulative of over 30 million from winning his matches, commentary jobs as well as tutoring. Perhaps he should start thinking about moving out to somewhere closer to the Go association, or maybe get ready to purchase a sweet new car like Ogata’s once he got his driver’s license.

Deciding to unpack tomorrow, Shindou threw his backpack to the corner of the room before jumping onto the bed with a tired sigh and eyes lingering on the ceiling for a moment. When he fell asleep, he dreamt.

Shindou had an ear-to-ear grin. Judging by the way he seemed to float in the air with the smell of lavender diffused all around him like a newly sprayed perfume, something he had been waiting for was about to occur. All he could see was a mix of light pink and white. If he was right, Sai would appear any time now in one of his lucid dream episodes. It usually happens a few days after something massive had just happened, and he certainly couldn’t wait to tell the spirit all about the Hokuto Cup.

Still with a smile plastered on, he spun around to find the man he was expecting, and sure enough, there he was.

“Sai! Guess what?” Shindou grinned as he rested the back of his head on his two hands. “Japan won the Hokuto cup, and I was the first board! Remember that Ko Yeong Ha? I wiped the floor with him!” Laughed the boy cheerfully, cheeks slightly pinkish. “Well, it was only a half moku victory, but still. I was leading most of the game. That’d show him to not badmouth Torajiro.”

The spirit was quiet as per usual, nothing too frustrating anymore for Shindou. He was used to the silence and found it rather comforting nowadays. After all, it was clear that Sai was listening to every story, every rant, every word he said. The small smile remained on the spirit’s lips, signifying that he wanted Shindou to continue.

“Oh yeah, I got the first board by beating Touya by a good 1 and a half moku. Hell yeah! I also became a 2-dan not long ago. If only I didn’t forfeit all those matches, I probably could be a 3-dan by now.” Shindou crossed his arms, slightly annoyed at himself for not continuing with Go right after Sai disappeared. Obviously, he would like him to keep going instead of running away. “Well, Touya’s a 4-dan now. Isumi-san and Waya are going well too with their matches. Probably will get promotion next year.”

“Sometimes I wish there’s a Go-ban here so we can play as we talk.” Continued the boy with bleached bangs, chuckling softly. “I miss playing with you. Everyone on the NetGo misses you too, you know! Even now they’re still talking about you.”

Sai gazed at Shindou tenderly, eyes gentle and understanding, perhaps even a little melancholic if you know the spirit well like he did. Slowly, the silence started to squeeze the air out of his lung, eyes shimmering with droplets of tears as he choked out words.

“It’d be nice if you return…”

Shindou’s eyes dropped to his own feet as he clenched his hands tightly into fists and aggressively rubbed his eyes before taking a deep breath to face Sai once more, this time with a big smile.

“After all this time, I’m still hoping. How silly of me.” He muttered weakly, knowing full well that Sai’s disappearance was the catalyst of his increasing mental fortitude. It was painful to admit but, if Sai was still standing with him right now, he probably would remain a kid with a childlike passion for Go.

Shindou looked at the ray of light that spilled from beside him and he knew what it meant. It was time for Sai to leave. He had to wait for another few months before his next meeting with Sai, perhaps. It never ceased to disappoint him, but he understood that he had to keep going with his career.

This time, however, instead of the dream ending as is, Sai’s eyes continued to linger on Shindou and a shiver ran down his spine. It felt almost _real_ , but he didn’t know how to interpret it. Could this be the last of their meeting? The smile Sai had looked the same as any other, but somehow it was electric and Shindou felt the goosebumps.

“Goodbye, Sai.” He muttered softly, not knowing what else to say.

He had expected to open his eyes and return to the real life where he would be sprawled on the bed with sunlight spilling into the room, perhaps an alarm clock going off reminding him of whatever it was that he needed to do that day. Perhaps a match? Just a friendly gathering? Or maybe just something as trivial as him forgetting to turn it off.

Instead, Sai stretched his hand towards the boy, palm facing him in a manner that almost pulled him into taking it. Shindou’s mind was blank as he returned the gesture and their fingers touched.

“Sai!” He yelled out only to see the whiteness of the ceiling in his bedroom, his right hand was up in the air. “Sai…” Sweat ran down his neck as he stared at his own hand, trying to remember how real it had felt.

After a moment of silence, Shindou looked to the side to see that it was already 10 AM. His entire body jerked up violently and his eyes wide open.

“Ahhh!” He cried out, charging out of the bedroom and stomping down the stairs loud enough to alarm his mother. “I’m gonna be late! See you later!” Shindou ran through the front door before she could say anything. He made it just in time for the train and for that he was grateful.

That day was his match against Ochi, their first match ever since the pro exam. It would be great to once again play him to see how far he had gotten. So far, his winning streak had remained, signifying his skill. Quickly taking off his shoes and left them strewn on the floor after reaching the destination, he ran into the match hall to see everyone had started and that the bespectacled boy waiting for him, expression no less than an annoyance.

“Please,” He huffed as soon as he assumed a seiza. As Ochi made his first move as black, Shindou used the moment to regain his breathing and focus. Taking the ogi fan from his pocket, he gripped it hard, eyes closed. When warmth began radiating from his being, he picked up the stone and started the game.

.

“Hey, Shindou.” Waya tapped the boy on the shoulder during their lunch break, and he sat next to him.

“Waya.” He regarded, fingers tracing the wooden desk lightly as he tried to plan his next form of attack against Ochi’s strong cluster. “Hmm…” He mulled while sipping on the boxed iced tea, index finger swirling around.

“Tough game?” The brunette speculated through the way his friend retained full focus even during break time. Behind him, Ochi was sitting in the other corner of the room, book open.

“I’m confident I’ll win, but it’ll be nice if I can figure out how to kill his upper left corner territory. I _know_ there’s a way.” Shindou continued but sighing in the end after a futile attempt at grasping for the answer.

“Is Shindou here?” Isumi’s voice was audible in the hallway and he poked his head into the break room, catching sight of the boy he was looking for. “Someone’s looking for you.”

“Well, tell them not now. The match is resuming in 10 minutes.” Replied Shindou firmly, fingers still tapping the table. He didn’t want to lose focus by having guests at the moment. They can wait for a bit.

“She’s really desperate for you.” The black-haired male said at the cold response, clearly seeming a little uncomfortable as if he had been personally attacked. “Uhm, really desperate.”

“Why, you little!” Waya grinned at the prospect of Shindou’s girlfriend coming to cheer on him at the most crucial lunch break time.

“What?” He lifted his head. “A girl? Is it Akari? She should be at school right now.” Shindou pushed the chair back as he took a stand, slightly bothered that she would show up now of all time. Sure, he told her that he would return the book he borrowed from two months ago, but surely she could wait for a few more days?

Waya trailed behind Shindou, curious to see what kind of girl she would be. He had a shit eating grin on his face as he started thinking of ways to bother him with all sort of questions. If Shindou was interested in her, perhaps someone who’s good at Go? Or maybe he had other tastes?

Isumi exhaled loudly and followed suit. He didn’t really have any ulterior motive, unlike Waya. It was just the female on the ground floor seemed to be very panicked and agitated that he wanted to see if Shindou would be able to handle her properly. Even though he was a lot gentler nowadays, he still had his rough edges when dealing with females. It wasn’t as if he was particularly good either, but…

As they emerged from the elevator, Waya’s breath stopped. The girl wasn’t like he was expecting. Heck, she was a _woman._ Her figure was tall and slender even under the very simple pinkish red yukata, she boasted very long hair with dark purple colour and when she turned around with all the grace in the world, her lipstick was purple and eyelashes thick with fair complexion.

“Oi, Shindou—“ He stammered and turned his head to his friend just to see that blood had been drained from his face as if he just saw a ghost. His lips trembled, accompanied with eyes that seemed like they were about to pop out of their sockets. A droplet of sweat dropped from his forehead down to his chin as he shakily stepped forward.

“But, it’s—“ It should be impossible, he must be going insane. He clamped his eyes shut, even pinched his own arm, but the sight didn’t disappear and Shindou was convinced that he was having a lucid dream. “No. It can’t be.” He muttered to himself, Isumi and Waya merely stared at the boy, not know what to think of it.

“Hikaru!” The woman—no, _man_ gasped.

“What are you doing here?” Shindou trembled, hands shivering as if he was naked amongst the snow.

“I don’t know what’s happening. When I opened my eyes, I—“

With a voice as loud as Waya and Isumi ever heard Shindou screamed, he charged forward, tears dripping from his eyes as he jumped into the stranger’s arms, who was as baffled as they were.

“SAI!”

“Eh?” Waya’s jaw threatened to drop onto the floor when he heard the familiar name escaping from Shindou’s lips. “S-Sai? SAI?!” He yelled out just as loudly, attracting everyone’s attention. Thousands of images of Sai appeared in his eyes, but that certainly wasn’t one of them. The man in front of him was about 30 years younger than he had previously imagined.

Soon, everyone in the hallway crowded the man accused of being Sai and gave him a quick inspection, gauging the validity of the statement. He was on his knees just as Shindou was. The poor boy’s tears overflowed and he sobbed uncontrollably, one hand slamming onto Sai’s chest weakly.

“Sai, Sai!” He repeated when he felt the so-very real hand patting him on the back. “I thought you—I thought you were gone forever!”

Isumi looked at the mess that Shindou was and assumed that his story was correct. Shindou must have thought that Sai died, hence why he stopped playing Go and why he had the fan. Perhaps it was a symbol of Sai. Perhaps Sai was the reason that he played Go. What he hadn’t expected was his apparent age. He must only be on his mid-20s, certainly far too young for plays as sophisticated as NetGo’s Sai’s.

“Is he really Sai?” Muttered the crowd as they looked at each other. “So young…”

Waya had some reason left in him as he didn’t try to immediately pressure Shindou into saying anything. Instead, he let the boy empty his tears until he was nothing more than a sobbing mess who looked up to face the man in front of him.

“Sai… you’re back…” He gasped. “How? I mean, you—“

“I don’t know how or why.” Sai whispered softly, almost mouthing the words, not wanting anyone else to hear him. “I panicked and I came here. I thought you’d be here and, uhm. Did I come at a bad time?”

“No! No. Not at all.” Shindou immediately answered, momentarily forgetting his match against Ochi that would be starting in a few more minutes. “Oh! Well, I have a match against Ochi.” He then added.

Sai nodded in understanding as he looked at how much attention they had on them. The crowd slowly began to dissipate as they picked up their phones, most likely to tell someone else about the sudden appearance of the internet legend Sai.

“Is it okay if I wait here until you’re finished?” He asked softly, looking at Waya and Isumi while knowing full well both of them recognised his name.

“I can stay with you.” Shindou insisted, eyes wide open to show how serious he was.

“No!” The man immediately objected and he crossed his arms. “You have to finish your match!” When he looked deep inside his student’s shaky and glistening eyes, he realised just what was worrying him. “I won’t go anywhere. I promise.” He said firmly. “When you’re done, I’ll be right here.”

“Well, you can at least wait near the match hall.” Waya cleared his throat while pointing at the elevator. “It’s much more comfortable there.”

“Yeah.” Isumi quickly added after glancing at the watch on his wrist. “Shindou, your match is resuming.”

So they made their way up, neither Isumi or Waya dared to ask a single question as they saw Shindou obviously was still shaken up, but relief written all over him.

“You can watch, Sai.” He grabbed the older male’s attention. “My match with Ochi, you can watch.”

“I don’t think anyone except pros and insei are allowed in the match hall.” The black haired male responded, obviously meaning well. He didn’t want anyone to get in trouble.

“It’s okay, Hikaru. I’ll just wait right here. Do your best!”

Shindou took a deep breath as he walked back into the room, hoping that the event that just transpired wouldn’t deter him from winning the game he knew he could succeed in. He closed his eyes tightly while trying to calm himself down. It took him 15 minutes to finally place a white stone on the board.

And when he won, sure enough, Sai was waiting for him.

* * *

 [Inspiration pic, and probably what's gonna happen next chapter lol]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Nigiri:** Nigiri is used to determine who plays black in the first game.


	2. Framework

Confused was an understatement as to what Shindou Mitsuko was feeling that moment. Baffled, perhaps, bewildered and gobsmacked with a mix of utter disbelief after hearing what her son had to say on that nice spring day. Just a few minutes ago she had been busy doing the laundry while watching episode 21 of her favourite J-drama on TV while being in a phone call with her other friends as well. It was such a promising day for it to be another normal, unusual one. However, it appeared that nothing could be normal in a family where her 17 years old son was earning twice as much as her husband per month and had just netted a 6 million yen for the week. That was only 3 million shy of what Masao made in a year!

Sure enough, her son would have full control of how to spend his hard-earned money, but frankly, the kid hadn’t been spending on anything too insane or wild. Yes, she checked his bank account just a few days ago to find no sign that he had been illegally buying alcohol at bottle stores or bars, he hadn’t visited by strip clubs or anything like that. Most of his transaction consisted of fast food and bookstores. They weren’t any raunchy magazines either, they all had been weekly Go magazines, kifu paper, advanced Go books and the such. She had already done a thorough check in his room, as frowned upon as that might be.

It was worrying her. Teenage boys were bound to have _some_ sexual drive, right? But all her son thought about seems to be Go, Go and more Go. Was she ever going to get any grandkid?

Back to the situation on hand...

Shindou was currently sitting on the desk, eyes flaring with impatience and forehead scrunched together to form a frown, most likely due to the fact that her mother hadn’t said a single damn thing for the past 3 minutes or so. She merely blinked at him, completely dumbfounded at her son’s abrupt proposal—well, it was more of a demand, really.

“So, there’s that.” The sound of fingers being drummed against wooden table was almost as deafening as the ticking of clock right above the window. Something told Mitsuko that there was no saying no to this insistence of his.

Right next to him, a man with long, silky purple hair clad in what seemed to be a new set of male kimono was sitting, fidgeting nervously while still being able to look graceful. How did he do that, she wasn’t entirely sure. He had the loveliest and longest eyelashes that she had ever seen in her entire life and pale skin that resembled those models in those anti-aging cream advertisement.

“Hikaru, I don’t know about this...” After a deep inhale of air that didn’t seem to satisfy her lungs, she finally began. “I don’t know who he is.”

“Well, it’s either he moves in here, or I move out.” Looking at his mother’s baffled expression frustratingly, Shindou shook his head just as she was about to say something. “No, he is _not_ my boyfriend and I am _not_ gay. Sai was— _is_ my Go teacher and because of circumstances I can’t elaborate on, he doesn’t have anywhere to go. In short, I offered for him to stay here.” When her mother nodded gently, still unsure, he continued. “After everything he’s done for me, this is the least I can do.”

Now, she wouldn’t claim that she had the best mother-son relationship. In fact, everything that Shindou had done up until now he had always done without consulting her beforehand. It was getting increasingly difficult to catch up with how he is doing in life due to how busy he seemed to be. However, in that one sentence that came out of his lips, she could hear the melancholy, the helplessness, the frustration and most importantly, the plea. It broke her heart. Sai must be such an important figure for him, and whatever had befallen the man must be so grave that he couldn’t talk about it.

“Alright, just—”

“Thanks, mum!” Shindou immediately got to his feet before she could say anything else. He grabbed Sai’s shoulder, making the man flail a little. Just before they could leave the dining room, her mother raised her voice.

“I’m not done! You two have a lot of questions to answer.” She reprimanded with a tone that she hadn’t used ever since Shindou was 12. That stopped him on his track, and he turned around with a frown.

“Alright, I’ll humour you.” The boy with bleached bang scoffed before looking at Sai and whispered, “Let me handle this.”

And so, thousands of questions were shot Shindou’s way, mostly making sure that Sai wasn’t some mafia boss’s son or anything like that and that their family wasn’t in any danger. After a full half an hour of interrogation, they finally could grab a spare futon from the storage room and lay it down next to Shindou’s bed.

When they finally settled, they silently dragged the Go-ban from the corner into the middle of the room where the two men sat opposite each other. It was all done without a single word being muttered, both of them obviously knew that the only way to get to the bottom of the story was through a game. Besides, Shindou would like to know for himself if it really was Sai sitting in front of him, and not just some imposter.

The younger male clasped his hands around the go-ke containing black stones and rested it gently on the right side with Sai following suit. Their eyes unmoving as they stared right at each other and bowed slightly with slight scepticism on Shindou’s side, as a cue to start.

The eye contact only broke when Sai dipped his fingers inside the go-ke, the bi-concave stones making a comforting clattering noise as he did so, and he could feel his vision starting to blur. It felt so right on his fingers as if they were just the right pieces of the puzzle that he had been missing for a thousand years, begging to be placed back in their rightful positions, on the go-ban, to once again create a galaxy of stars. He hadn’t realised just how much of him was taken away when he found himself unable to touch the stones he had grown to love, and now that he was given another chance by the gracious gods, he found himself unable to contain his emotion.

One more chance to walk the earth, one more chance to hold the glassy go-stones between his fingers, one more chance to attain the Hand of God, one more chance to watch over his student.

Shindou remained silent even when he saw the man in front of him started to sob softly, tears streaming down his eyes and chin as he gently moved his fingers inside the go-ke. The game had not yet start, and he was plenty convinced that he _is_ Sai. So Shindou placed a black stone on the board, on the galaxy that they were about to tailor with their own hands.

After wiping his tears using the sleeves of his kimono and opened his eyes to face Shindou once more, fire ablaze in his eyes, the clattering of the go stones stopped, and it was replaced with a loud _clack_ as he set the stone on the board. Shindou knew it was going to be an _amazing_ game.

They didn’t waste time starting nice and slow, not even a second to test the water. If they were who they claimed to be, the answer will be clear. Although Sai’s style of go was that of balance and harmony, Shindou could feel the jab of his blades dancing all around him, almost like a whip that seek out the weaknesses on his form in order to break his walls and annihilate him. However, he wasn’t like how he was two years ago when Sai left him. This Shindou had practiced day and night, harder than he had ever been before. This Shindou played Touya Akira and won, he made it to the first board and brought victory to team Japan in the Hokuto cup, something that no one ever saw coming. This Shindou is careful, sharp and on his peak, he is a force of nature—agile, adaptable, efficient.

Shindou wasn’t going to let Sai had the initiative the entire match, the sente. He wouldn’t let him try to cut him in half in gote, this time he wanted to be the one to wield the sword.

Both Shindou and Sai knew exactly what they wanted to do, they knew what their opponent was capable of, they read 30, 40, 50 moves ahead. Others might look at the speed in which they place the stones, how they would still tremble and before they could stop, another would already be placed. The game proceeded at an unprecedented speed, neither backing down, neither making any sloppy moves. They played their absolute best until the game reached yose and even though Shindou had calculated the board in his head and knew that he was going to be defeated by four and a half moku, he refused to resign. He wanted to see it through to the very end and he was sure that Sai, too.

When the game finished, both men looked at each other, and Shindou let out a small breath of amusement and relief before he laughed, tears flooding his eyes in elation. It was a loss, but it was a magnificent loss. He wasn’t ashamed as he knew that he had given the best, had proven the fruit of his hard work. He lost fair and square to an opponent much more skilful than he is.

Smile soft and eyes brimming with warmth, he said, “Welcome back, Sai.”

.

A lone black stone stood proud on the glistening kaya board placed in the middle of the dimly lit room, only accompanied by a man sitting in seiza with his arms crossed, a man that up to two years ago had been known as the Meijin.

He heard about the return of Sai from his student, Ogata Seiji and he quickly took the plane back from Korea back to his place only to gaze straight in front of him, as if waiting for an opponent in an official title match. His concentration was evident through the piercing eyes and the way those wrinkles move ever so slightly. He had waited his whole life for a rematch against the legendary Sai, whose skill seemed like it was forged through a thousand years of never-ending training. A man who shouldn’t exist.

The door slid open slowly to reveal no other than his son, Touya Akira. He noticed the peculiar arrangement of the room but it was nothing out of the ordinary if you lived together with the ex-Meijin. He knew the significance of his father’s action—it was a symbol of thirst for a rematch that he would finally be granted after a painstakingly long 2 years.

“Father,” He started as he approached the man. “I hope your trip to Korea was just as you expected and more.”

“Undoubtedly.” Touya gave his son a small smile, head turning to face him but body completely unmoving. “Congratulations on your victory in the Hokuto cup. The three of you played outstanding games worthy of your achievement.”

“Thank you,” Akira hid his disappointment after the first board was taken away from him by Shindou. However, he found himself distracted by the go-ban before him. “Sai’s appearance in public.” He started. “Do you think it’s true?”

“No one seems to believe it just yet, it seems. However, Shindou seems to think that it is true, if Ogata’s sources described the situation correctly.” The ex-Meijin stated calmly as he closed his eyes to once again recall the match from two years ago. The match of his life. “Have you been in contact with him?”

The boy with green hair shook his head. “He hasn’t come to the salon for the past three days.” It was definitely odd, since they always meet on Thursdays. As far as he was concerned, Shindou didn’t have any pressing matter or job to attend to so there was no reason why he would bail. He sincerely hoped that it wouldn’t be like last time where he disappeared for a good few weeks, in turn forfeiting all his matches. Although he would never admit it, the thought of losing his rival devastated him.

“I see,” Said Touya, unflinching. His resolve for a rematch was strong, and he would wait until his opponent is ready.

.

Shindou had told Sai to stay put in the house until he found something to do with the whole situation. There had been an uproar in both online and real-life go community as they discussed the possibility of the appearance of Sai, _in flesh_. They shared what little information they had as well as the few pictures taken that day. Most brushed it off as nothing more than a hoax, as they refused to believe that someone so young plays such fearsome hands. It was simply unimaginable. Ignorance was surely bliss.

Sai, however, was getting quite bored by the lack of stimulation inside his student’s place. When he was a spirit, he had been able to wander around along with him. Nowadays, most of the time he just flicked through go magazines and books, but it wasn’t enough to keep him distracted for the whole day as Shindou attended school. Sai wanted to go somewhere and play go. However, he knew that doing such thing would cause Shindou a whole world of inconvenience, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

It didn’t dismiss the fact that he wanted to go out, though. Perhaps somewhere not too Go-focused so not as many people would recognise him. He silently flicked through images of places Shindou visited with him when he was a spirit. That was when a metaphoric light bulb lit over his head. The library would be a great place to start, he thought. Perhaps he could find a few books about go... that was less risky than going to a Go salon.

“Mm, mm!” Sai nodded at his own brilliance as he walked downstairs to greet Shindou’s mother, who had slowly warmed up to the man. She had been quite adamant about him in the beginning, silently hoping that her son wasn’t getting involved with a bad crowd, but after seeing Sai’s impeccably excellent manner and the elegance he carried himself with, she slowly changed her mind and found herself rather hoping that Shindou would also follow his example.

The long-haired male excused himself as he walked outside and towards the train station closest to the house. Sai looked around excitedly at everything that he could interact with, as well as the fact that people could see him. It would take a while to get used to, he decided, as he skipped his way towards the station.

There was a flaw in his plan. He neglected to consider the fact that he would need money to go around and he found himself staring at the ticket gate separating him from the inner side of the train station rather disappointedly. There was no way he could get through it, he thought dejectedly, deciding to turn heel and walk back to the house. Perhaps he’d be lucky to find a bookstore of the sort as he strolled back.

“I want to play...” Sai muttered to himself as he slowly made his way back to Shindou’s place. Still observing around hoping to find something remotely close to a library, he made a small squeal of delight when he looked to the side to find a small rack of books and magazines inside a convenience store and he practically ran inside only to carelessly bump into a body.

The man clicked his tongue when he dropped the pack of cigarette he just purchased, slightly ticked off. Just as Sai was about to apologise, the stranger took one second to take a look at him and his eyes widened and so did Sai’s. A strong hand jabbed forward to grip him by the shoulder firmly and Sai found himself taking a step back in order to keep his balance, making a small noise of surprise as it happened.

“You—” He stopped in his track, wondering if he had found the right person as the eyes behind the glasses drilled a hole into Sai’s and forehead scrunched up in a frown. “There’s no mistaking it. You’re Sai, aren’t you?” The man pressed on after deciding that not a lot of people nowadays would grow their hair that long and dyes it purple.

 _“Uwaah, I’m sorry, Hikaru!”_ Thought Sai as soon as he recognised that he had just conveniently stumbled into Ogata.

Noticing the fact that the spirit looked a little uncomfortable, the bespectacled man softened his grip and finally released it when he saw that Sai wasn’t about to flee. He cleared his throat as if trying to regain composure before continuing. “Am I correct?”

The long-haired male slowly nodded after noticing that he didn’t really have any other choice than to tell the truth. Ogata was absolutely convinced by that fact that lying about it would simply not work.

The blond bent down to pick up the almost-forgotten pack of cigarette and he exhaled before standing up straight again, Sai’s eyes focused on the Go magazine he had on his left hand. “If you’re not heading anywhere, perhaps we can have a game?”

“A game?” The long-haired male couldn’t stop his eyes from twinkling with excitement at the thought of playing against the holder of Judan and Gosei titles. Just one game wouldn’t hurt, right? Didn’t even have to be at the salon! They could maybe just play at Ogata’s place and no one would be able to see him. However, Sai recalled how Shindou had warned him about kidnappers and how he shouldn’t go to someone’s place when invited, even if they offered a game of go! Surely, Ogata was different, right? After all, he wasn’t _completely_ a stranger.

The man in suit observed Sai whose expression had switched from excitement to worry and back to excitement all within 5 seconds. Ogata never thought that human was able to do that in such short period of time. He opted to not say anything and let Sai decide himself. After all, he had nothing in his agenda that day.

“Hmm...” He crossed his arms and tilted his head left and right, not-so-silently gauging his options and the repercussions. Surely, Shindou wouldn’t be _that_ upset at him, would he? After all, other Go players would one hundred percent accept a challenge from _the_ Ogata, right? Spending a few more seconds trying to convince himself that it was a good idea to play against the Judan, he opened his eyes and looked at the man in front of him, ogi fan flipped open to cover his lips. “I accept your challenge.”

.

The past three days, Shindou had pretty much locked Sai inside the house, going out only under his supervision. He didn’t want to risk anyone crowding the man and making him uncomfortable. There’s also the concern that he would get hit by a car or something like that due to his careless nature and Shindou didn’t want to risk it. The whole day at school was usually spent by him wondering if it was a good idea or not to sign Sai up for the pro exam coming in a couple of months. He had to decide quickly before registration closes, and if he was there as a guarantor of Sai’s go skill, there was no doubt that he would get admitted.

Although pro status wasn’t necessary for Sai, it would probably come in handy since he’d be able to play strong opponents in official matches, perhaps the opportunity to make it to international tournament too. He was certain that the man would absolutely adore the idea. The thought of Sai’s flowery expression was enough to bring a smile to his face.

Just as he turned the corner to approach his house, that week’s edition Go magazine in hand, he spotted an oh-so-familiar red sports car parked just outside. He shouldn’t be surprised that damn old man was able to track down his address and had the guts to come uninvited. His desire to play Sai overrode his usually calm and composed demeanour, and although it got a little bit overwhelming for Shindou, he knew that his motives stemmed from his love for go, and how he would use any means to be able to get a good game.

But still! This wasn't a good time at all!

He ran into the house, throwing the shoes off his feet and in turn noticing a set of a disgustingly expensive shiny pair of shoes that no doubt belongs to Ogata himself. He dashed past the dining room where his mother was at, making her notice her son in such a rush that she turned around in distaste after not hearing the “I’m home” announcement.

“Hikaru!” She scolded.

“I’m home!” He simply yelled out before breaking into his room just to see Sai sitting in front of the go board and Ogata on the opposite side. It seemed like the game was still on its early stage, move 15, perhaps. “Ogata, what the actual _fuck_?!” Shindou stomped in fury towards the man in a suit, who merely adjusted his glasses as a response.

“Hi-Hikaru, wait!” Sai shot to his feet, flailing around in a sorry attempt to stop the boy from murdering the Judan in cold blood. “It was my fault! Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to foolishly wander around. I went into a store and, well... this. Don’t get mad, please?” The man in kimono clasped his hands together with that puppy eyes of his and Shindou cursed his inability to deal with Sai when he sulked.

“I told you to stay at home until I figure everything out!” He threw his backpack to the bed in frustration and crossed his arms before glaring at Ogata with an intent to kick him out, but he didn’t look guilty in the slightest. “Why here, not the salon?” Finally toning down his voice a notch, he asked.

“I don’t think you’d be happy with me playing somewhere public. I didn’t want to make you more upset at me...” Sai sulked while stealing glances at the go board to see where a good spot to respond would be and how he imagined Ogata would answer. “There!” Sai said after he bent over to pick up a stone and placed it on the board.

Shindou found himself distracted after analysing the board and forgot that he was supposed to be upset and try to find something to stab Ogata with. The Judan, black stone, was not playing like he usually would. His moves seemed to be very territorial and defensive. Something that he certainly wasn’t known for. After analysing the game for another 20 turns, Shindou crossed his arms and scoffed before throwing himself on the edge of the bed. “Good game, Ogata. Better resign now.”

“Excuse me?” The addressed male turned around to give Shindou a cock of his eyebrow.

“If you don’t attack, you’ll get cut up.” The boy continued, speaking from experience. Against Sai, it was useless to play defensively. His movements were too sharp and deadly for that. After a few months of being terrified of what Sai could do and played as safely as he could, he learned that frontal and reckless assault would bear better result for him. He could just see that it wouldn’t be any different for Ogata either.

Under normal circumstances, Ogata would ignore what anyone had to say about the way he played. However, this was different—this is Shindou Hikaru. He probably had already played hundreds of games against Sai and found that the best form of defense against him was attack. So, Ogata decided to change his plan and re-analysed the board, once more visualising what the effect of his next move would be. Sai had a particularly large moyo on the lower quadrant that he had been staying away from for far too long, worried about what kind of trap might spring.

Sai smiled softly as soon as Ogata started to invade his territory with a soft clack. It was going to be a good game, after all.

After exchanging a few more moves, it was starting to become clear that both players were on equal footing in regards of territory and influence. Ogata had made excellent hands that enabled him to catch up in the early stage of the game, and that certainly rewarded him nicely. Observing the board, it became clear to Sai why that man in front of him held the Judan title. His moves were refined, very well thought of and balanced, but lacked any creativity. Sai started to wonder how he would respond to quirky and unexpected moves, and he silently promised that when the opportunity shows itself, he would play that hand.

If his match with Hikaru for the past three days had been a constant slashing of blades and dances of agility, this one was a match between two wild beasts, both prowling around each other ready to strike the other at one moment of weakness. They have just gotten acquittanced and gauging how they would respond to a stimulus. However, Sai, the one equipped with much more experience in his arsenal, had the significant advantage.

“I resign.” Ogata muttered after a long moment of contemplation. He dropped the black stone that he had been rolling on his fingers for a while, and it made a soft clacking noise as it joined the other stones inside the go-ke. The bespectacled man pushed his glasses up the length of his nose before he got to his feet.

“Would you like to review the game, Ogata-sensei?” Sai queried, although he already knew the answer to the question.

Accompanied with a short chuckle, the man responded, “No, thank you.” He already knew where he went wrong and would chalk it up as a valuable learning experience. Sai was really as skilful as he had originally thought, and he felt satisfied after confirming that fact. “I hope we can play again some other time, perhaps in an official match.”  He continued before exiting the bedroom and closed the door.

“Oh yeah!” Shindou hit his fist against his open palm after hearing ‘official match’. “I was thinking of getting you to join the pro exam this coming month. You probably don’t really care for the glory, but I’m sure it’s a shortcut to playing more professionals in a serious environment.”

Sai’s expression brightened up when he heard the idea and he immediately charged towards Shindou, eyes sparkling in anticipation as he nodded furiously. “Yes! Yes!”

Shindou leaned backwards slightly, trying to put some distance between him and the too-close Sai. “Alright, alright.” He responded.

“Hikaru! I’d like to play more go, please!” The male with long hair cried out, referring to the boredom he felt when his student was away at school. “It gets lonely here by myself!”

Shindou pondered for a few moments if he should buy a computer so Sai could play NetGo. It would be good since that means that it would buy Shindou more time before announcing Sai’s physical existence to the public. The attention they would receive would be simply too much and far too distracting to handle. Perhaps it would be for the best if his first appearance would be at the professional go exam.

“Alright! I’ll get you a computer tomorrow.” Shindou decided, since he already had so much money banked up anyways, it wouldn’t leave even a dent on his savings. “You can play all the NetGo you want.”

“Hooray!” Sai got to his feet and waved his arms about in joy that made Shindou laugh at how he had not changed in the slightest.

“Alright, let’s go eat dinner!” He grinned when his stomach rumbled but immediately got way too distracted by the stench suddenly radiating inside his nose. “Sai, you’re not a spirit anymore. You’d better take a shower.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Moyo / Framework:** is an area where one player has a large influence, and which potentially could become that player's territory.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and comments, guys! Really appreciate it.
> 
> I'm super pumped to write about the pro exam :D


	3. Centre Influence

Shindou hadn’t been in a department store for a long while, so it was a little troublesome for him to navigate in the beginning. It was a weekend, so naturally, the store was littered with people, window shoppers or not that was enough to make him regret his life choices. Thanking the gods for his rather thin figure, he was able to somewhat slip through countless bodies to get to the stairs and prepared himself to make a mighty climb to the 5th floor where the electronic department was. Because screw the elevators and everyone healthy wanting to ascend using such lazy method.

Trying hard to catch his breath and once again regretting his life choices, he finally reached his destination. He had been fairly healthy when he was younger thanks to soccer, but now he has a career that involves kneeling for hours at end. He had his metabolism to appreciate because for some reason he hadn’t put on any excess weight so far despite all the burgers he chowed on a daily basis.

Shindou took a deep breath as he ventured deeper into the 5th floor until he found an array of PCs, tablets and laptops on display. He started from the cheapest one, right to the most expensive one, wondering what the differences were. Technology had never been one of his strong suits, after all. As if knowing his struggles, one of the salesmen approached him with a large smile.

“May I help you with anything, sir?” He had his hands clasped together on the front of his body as he started the conversation.

Shindou looked at the man in front of him, and back at the computers. “I’m just looking for something that’s good enough for NetGo.”

“Ah, I knew it!” His expression brightened, leaning forward in enthusiasm. “You’re Shindou 3-dan! Are you going to start playing NetGo? If that’s the case you might need a modem or cable too for the internet, internet plan and of course a printer so you can print out the kifu easily.”

Rather proud that he was starting to be recognised by strangers as a professional Go player, Shindou restrained a boastful grin. He had to focus on the task at hand—getting Sai a distraction so he wouldn’t wander around outside like last time. What if Waya or Touya-sensei saw him? That would be an event too insane for him to handle. Ogata, surprisingly, had been considerate enough to not spill any word about his game against Sai to anyone.

“Yeah, I guess.” He replied shortly, not wanting to disclose that he was buying it for the internet legend Sai. “Can you work a good deal for me? I don’t really care as long as it’s not too overboard.”

The salesman gave Shindou a smile before escorting him to the other side of the display and tapped on a computer. “Anything will be good for NetGo. It doesn’t take a lot of memory. I recommend this one just because it has better RAM, so it won’t run slow.” He babbled on about a good internet plan and a reliable printer to go with it, and a decision was made rather quickly as the man had given Shindou a discount in return for an autograph.

After arranging immediate delivery to his place, Shindou came home to check on Sai, making sure that he hadn’t left his post. Opening the front door, he announced that he was home as he took off his shoes.

“Welcome back, Hikaru!” Said his mother and Sai almost simultaneously, followed by soft laughter from the two. Shindou couldn’t help cocking one of his eyebrows at how chummy the two had gotten after her initial distrust. He assumed that it was because of Sai’s cheerful and bubbly attitude that would make him get along with people easily.

“What were you guys talking about?” The boy peeked to see two mugs of hot green tea was on the desk, accompanied with a matching teapot. Both of them probably had been chatting there for a while judging by the number of cookies left on the plate. He grabbed one and started munching on it loudly, noticing his mother’s expression soured shortly after. “What?”

“You should learn some manners from Fujiwara-kun... He’s such a wonderful young man.” She rested her chin on her palm as she lightly shook her head in disapproval. “He even taught me a bit about the Go world just to catch me up on what you’re doing. He is so considerate.”

“Geez, just adopt him, why don’t you?” Shindou scoffed, but it didn’t stop him from stealing another cookie and eyeing Sai with mild frustration for turning his own mother against him like that. The ex-ghost only gave him an innocent look of question in return.

“So, 3-dan is quite impressive, right?” Mitsuko clapped her hands together once. “And the man yesterday is a title holder? Are you going to be like him too, Hikaru?”

Shindou felt a shiver running down his spine as he looked at her mother dead in the eyes. “I don’t want to be a chain smoker driving around with stupid suit in a flashy sports car, thank you very much!”

Sai laughed at his student’s derogatory description of Ogata. He knew that Shindou wasn’t fond of the man, but he didn’t seem too over the top back then. He silently what happened between the two of them. Knowing Shindou, he probably got annihilated by the man in an official match of the sort, and perhaps he gloated about his victory in a sorry attempt to encourage the younger pro to practice more.

Joining the two for lunch, Shindou’s mind wandered to the pro exam that would start next month. The natural thing to do was generally to see if there was going to be any potential threat but this time, he seriously doubted it. Sai would probably crush everyone to the point where most of them would be forced into losing streaks. That was his way of showing kindness and respect on the Go-ban. He would never take any official match as a shidou-go, giving the opponents mercy and a false hope for a fighting chance. For him, that was the equivalent of spitting on their abilities.

“Are you ready for the pro exam?” Asked Shindou idly as he pushed the cherry tomatoes off his plate only to be glared at by his mother.

“As ready as I will ever be!” Sai answered ecstatically with fire ablaze in his eyes showing his excitement at the prospect of playing strong, bright Go players. “I will give it my all.”

“That’s what worries me, Sai.” He chuckled dryly, imagining the horror on everyone’s faces when they realised what exactly they were up against and how future opponents would slowly crumble under Sai’s mighty hands. It was quite the image, he had to admit. The sadistic part of him wanted to see it first hand, but he probably would feel sorry for those poor things.

“Fujiwara-kun, you’re not a professional?” Mitsuko looked at the graceful man with curiosity. Her son mentioned that he was his teacher, but he wasn’t a professional? It was a little odd.

“You see, Sai’s family really don’t want him to be a professional despite his skill!” Shindou cut in with an obviously revised lie.

“That must be troublesome!” She brought her fingers close to her lips as she said that. Had the man ran away from home, she wanted to ask him that but felt like it wasn’t her place to intrude. “Your passion for Go must be so strong. Maybe I should learn too.” She joked.

“I’d be glad to teach you, ma’am! Hikaru is so talented, and I’m certain he got that talent from his parents!” Sai looked at Mitsuko with passion and she laughed at the reaction, obviously flattered at the compliment. That moment, Shindou realised that Sai was an expert at sweet nothings without intending it.

Just after they finished doing the dishes, the doorbell rang, and it was the items that Shindou had purchased from the department store and they finished installing everything on their correct positions in his bedroom relatively quickly thanks to the help of the delivery man. After doing the initial setup, Shindou logged into NetGo, accompanied by an overly excited Sai who was practically bouncing on his seat.

It was a refreshing sight to see as much as it was odd. Back then, Sai couldn’t touch the computer, so sitting in front of it would naturally not happen. However now, he was about to once again resume the career he had built using the name _sai_ and Shindou could only imagine what kind of an uproar would happen once everyone realised that the real _sai_ is back, especially after all those imposters.

One second before Shindou hit the log in button, Sai grabbed his wrist and turned his head to face him. The man smiled thinly and eyes gentle as he said, “I’d like to make a different account.”

“Oh, okay.” The boy nodded, wondering how the sudden proposal came about and what the significance was. Taking them to a sign-up page, he silently pondered on the reason behind Sai’s decision. Could it be that he didn’t like the attention? If that was the case, this wasn’t the answer. People would catch on relatively quick since it Sai would still use his _sai_ hands. Would he make a new account then? That would mean he’d end up with hundreds of accounts.

Another reason could be because he’d like to start anew. Perhaps the name _sai_ reminded him of the days when he was unable to interact with his opponents first hand. Maybe now he’d like to be seen as a friendlier sort of player instead of a silent one who would annihilate his opponent, even in a game of shidou-go?

As Shindou filled out Sai’s details on the sign-up page, his eyes focused on the date of birth section and he turned to face his mentor in question. He hadn’t asked him when he was born.

“May 5th.” He replied simply, and with that, Shindou got his answer and he felt a little bad for thinking about such shallow reasonings as to why he wanted to create a new account.

Sai wanted to start with a blank slate, not because of those vain reasonings; he feels like he had been given a second chance at life. The decision to change his username signified his resolve to move on from the past that had been haunting him for the time when he was a spirit, unable to play using his own hands and face, unable to get his opponents to look at the real face behind his human host. Shindou couldn’t claim to understand how Sai must have felt, but it must have been painful. Even though Torajiro had given him the liberty to play all of his games, no one could see the man behind the mask. Sure enough, one might justify that “wouldn’t just playing Go be enough?”, and Shindou had thought that too. However, the realisation that he would _never_ be recognised no matter how many great games he plays was enough to twist his stomach.

“Alright,” Shindou muttered softly and scrolled back up to fill out the last remaining question, clicking on the white space and watched the input line blinked back at him. “What’s it gonna be?”

There was no doubt in Sai’s eyes as he replied, “ _Saisei_.”

.

Staring idly at the go-ban in front of him, Akira pushed all the black pieces to the side while the man in front of him to the other in an attempt to clear the board. He played a few games against other patrons of the Go club that day instead of reviewing the matches against his father he played just earlier. He wanted to take his mind off Shindou for a moment. For a few days, there had been no news about him and usually, that wouldn’t even make Akira flinch, because the boy was known to take things at his own pace. However, now that Sai was reported to appear in the Go institute and that Shindou had broken down in public at the sight, he couldn’t help but worry.

Even after a few years and the promise that his rival would “tell him one day” left unfulfilled, he could never stop wondering about his relationship with Sai. His theory that the elementary Shindou was Sai was making less and less sense as the day progressed. After a few years of dramatics, he could confidently say that he knew the boy in ways that no one else did, not even Waya or Isumi. The way that his eyes danced around the board, spending only a few minutes to visualise the game 40 moves ahead; the way they twinkled when he found an excellent move; the way he looked at his opponent with absolute respect even after they resigned and how they would be shrouded with disappointment and determination to do better when he knew that he was going to lose, fingers clenching tight around his fan. Akira knew every subtle gesture that Shindou made during a match, something that no one else but himself could see, and Shindou probably knew about him just as much.

Not only his attitude on the Go-ban, Akira could list Shindou’s top three food and TV series, favourite professional Go players and how even though he could spend hours on end insulting Ogata and cursing the very ground he stood on, Shindou actually respected the man’s skills. He knew the esteem he held for Kurata even through the mask of frustration he displayed during their interaction, the way his confidence would slightly wane when Kuwabara Honinbou played one of mind games and the strange look of guilt he would give his father.

Shindou didn’t wear his emotion on his sleeves, but he wasn’t secretive to the point where he shut everyone out. He wasn’t afraid of spilling any information regarding his family and his past, but Sai was an exception. He had never once looked at him in the eyes and say anything substantial when questioned about the topic. Until now and Akira suspected, for a while, Shindou would not tell him the reason why he picked up Go in the first place, which made him assume that Sai played a major part in his life, something that he wasn’t ready to admit just yet.

Akira sat in silence, eyes gazing at the empty board laid on the table in front of him before he heard the seat in front of him getting dragged backwards.

“Hey!” Shindou plopped down and grabbed a Go-ke.

“Decided to finally come? I thought you got scared of losing and ran away on Thursday.” Akira responded while trying to cover up the fact that he had been deep in thought about the boy just a moment ago. His hands moved to retrieve the Go-ke that Shindou hadn’t touched but was stopped when the boy grabbed it for himself. Looking at him quizzically, he realised that he wasn’t there for a match, but to show him a game.

Shindou said nothing as he placed stone after stone on the board without any hesitation. He silently wondered if this was a good idea.

As the number of stones piled up on the board, Akira could feel that it was getting significantly harder to breathe. Black and white, both of them were unrelenting and the beauty they displayed through the power was blinding. White’s hands were sharp and bold, but hitting the spots that were the most painful and he couldn’t imagine what kind of defence would be sufficient against such scrutinising insight. Under normal circumstances, he would think that black had overextended at least 5 times, but it seemed to do the job. Black readily cut up the influence and moyo of white, as if already expecting what kind of move his opponent would make. Undoubtedly, it was a game played by two very skilled players who knew each other’s habits inside out, even more so than Akira knew black’s—Shindou.

“This...” He stammered when the last piece on the board had been placed, and he found himself at loss of what to say.

“This is all played in under 30 minutes.” Shindou disrupted the silence of Akira’s train of thought and the young pro felt his heart hammering in his chest, threatening to pop out of its ribcage.

It had been a game of hayago, but it certainly didn’t look like one. To the eyes of the outsiders, it would be accepted as a matched of two professionals undertaken with a 3 hours limit, certainly not 30 minutes. It was only possible if the players completely understood each other’s habits as naturally as breathing.

“Sai is coming,” Shindou whispered, eyes brimming with anticipation and Akira couldn’t bring himself to not look at him with the same excitement at the thought of what kind of a battlefield the professional go world is going to become. “I thought you should know.” He continued.

Akira closed his eyes and nodded in understanding, thinking about what good news that was for his father, who had been thirsting for a rematch for the past couple of years. “May I tell my father?” He softly asked with an undertone of _‘I’d understand if you don’t want me to’_.

Shindou shrugged, leaving it up to him to decide. Either way, he was confident that any information he shared would be kept a tight secret by the Touya. “He’s joining the pro exam next month.” Continued the boy with bleached bangs as he moved to clean the board.

“I wonder who will challenge him in Yuugen no Ma when he does pass.” Akira mulled in contemplation as he helped Shindou.

“The reverse komi would be a nuisance to him.” Shindou continued as they nigiri and he took white, watching Akira placing his stone on 4-4.

“Why just now he decides to take the exam?” Playing another move near the star point after Shindou made his, Akira decided to make his curiosity known.

“Circumstances.” Clack. “He couldn’t play Go in public before now.” Clack.

Akira had thought that much, but to hear it coming from Shindou’s mouth was surprising, especially after thinking that the question would once again be unanswered. The rest of their match went by in silence, partly due to their concentration, the other due to other patrons who started to surround the two young pros.

“What was _that_ move?!” Akira glowered at his practice opponent in fury upon seeing such reckless hand.

“What was _that_ attitude?!” Shindou barked at him with the same fervour. “I’m trying to be creative, unlike you whose Go seems like it has a stick right up its ass!”

“There’s a thick line between creativity and stupidity! And that move is _definitely_ the latter!” The usually composed player retaliated and soon enough, the audience they had disappeared with sighs.

“Takes one to know one!” Both players started screaming about that one particular move before the game had even finished, and they didn’t give any hint that signified that the quarrel was about to stop any time soon.

.

After the fifth game and fifth resignation from his opponent, Sai’s rank shot up from the default 25 kyu to 10 kyu and he wasn’t about to stop there. He joined countless online tournaments and actively seek for more opponents. So far, he only played Shido-go against the double-digit kyu players he challenged and none of them had given Sai the challenge he so desperately needed. So, when he saw an open game from a NetGo 9-dan player, he entered the lobby without as much as a blink.

Humming to himself as he opened another tab to challenge another player for the added challenge, his feet swished forward and backwards in a gesture of idle enjoyment. The clicking sound from the mouse that Sai had previously deemed to be rather irritating, now just a comfortable background noise as he immersed himself in the whole new world of online Go.

“Ah!” He squealed in delight when his opponent of 9-dan played a marvellous move, something that he would have done a little earlier, but good nonetheless. After exchanging a few moves and making his other challenger of 2 kyu resigned prematurely due to his large chunk of stone being eaten alive by Sai, he decided that he liked the 9-dan. Originally, they must have thought Sai a beginner, because it almost seemed like the player was playing a shido-go until a few moves ago where suddenly, their game changed into something a lot more aggressive.

Hikaru had explained that being a 1-dan on the NetGo server had really meant a single digit kyu in real life. 9-dan players usually have the approximate strength of a fresh 1-dan pro. He also mentioned that after the explosion of popularity in NetGo among pros, they decided to implement a feature that awards real professional players with a badge of their own and a custom colour of gold for their username. This was generally done through the forums with core members who actively dissect amazing games they found and compared them to real pros but the pros could also provide their IDs and show their game records after reaching 9-dan. These players would then be asked to confirm if they would like to accept the new status in NetGo. To name a few: _toya koyo_ , _kurata, seiji, zelda_ and _akira_. Other overseas professionals were also treated the same way. It gave them the ability to see if the user with those names were the real deal or not. It allowed the pros to challenge each other and others to view their games, knowing that both parties were legit.

Recalling that fact, Sai’s eyes hovered over his opponent’s nameplate, which, sure enough, was golden. He smiled at the realisation that he had been playing _zelda_ for the past 20 minutes or so. It was clear that Shindou’s friend, Waya had improved dramatically from the last Sai played him. However, that still wasn't sufficient to get the better of Sai as after he made the 120 th move, Waya resigned.

[ _zelda_ has requested a rematch.]

The pop up notice stated, and Sai gauged if it was a good idea or not to accept. The boy probably had started to suspect that he was _sai_. The rematch would be gladly welcomed, though, since the first time hadn’t been a display of his full strength. However, before he could refuse, he realised that the chat box next to the board interface had been filled up for a while now.

[16:22] _Saber2221_ : Whoa, Waya 3-dan lost?  
[16:22] _Centaur_ : by a lot  
[16:22] _TrapPed_ : idiot, he wasn’t taking it seriously  
[16:23] _Saber2221_ : no, he was lax in the beginning but he played as usual mid game  
[16:23] _EttoChan_ : saisei=sai  
[16:23] _Centaur_ : Why would sai change their name though?  
[16:23] _Ogooe_ : I thought I was the only one who thought that  
[16:23] _TrapPed_ : this is one game though, you can’t say that for sure  
[16:23] _Saber2221_ : check out saisei’s other games  
[16:25] _Ogooe_ : 100% sai  
[16:25] _TrapPed_ : no, their opponents are too weak to know for sure

Sai swallowed thickly as countless challenges were shot his way and private message boxes popped up here and there, asking if he really was _sai_. As if reading his situation, Waya posted a reply on the game chat.

[16:25] _zelda:_ leave him alone

Immediately, the chat stopped and Sai found himself in a dilemma. He wanted to keep playing, but if it kept up he might be risking his identity being spread all over the net, and that was enough to make him stop and wonder if that would cause Shindou any trouble at all.

[ _zelda_ has requested a private match]

Sai silently wondered what private match had really meant, but he didn’t have to ponder over it for so long as Waya explained that it meant they could play without an audience, unless invited. The man accepted it without a doubt and they started the game.

As a result of automatic Nigiri, Sai received white and the gears immediately started to turn after Waya made his first move on 3-4 corner. The game went slowly and Sai could feel the level of thoughts that black put in each of his stone. The clock ticked down from 120 minutes and Waya had exhausted 30 after only the 10th move. Giving his opponent his undivided attention as respect, he finally found himself distracted when the door behind him opened revealing Shindou Mitsuko.

“Fujiwara-kun, I brought snacks.” She said with a tray in her hands and she looked at the computer screen. “I assumed you were playing, considering that you haven’t stepped out the last few hours. I’ll leave this here, alright?”

“Ah, you shouldn’t have, Shindou-san!” The male responded at the considerate gesture.

“Oh, please.” She giggled at the childlike expression on Sai’s face. “You’ve taken care of Hikaru all this time. I’m glad that it’s someone like you who guided him along this path that his parents are unfamiliar with. I never thought I’d see the day that he would get so determined over something!”

Sai could feel his eyes softening and a smile bloomed on his lips as a response. “It’s my honour to watch him grow, and I promise that I will do everything in my power to help him. After all, he is the best friend I could ever ask for.”

.

Shindou had both of his hands stuffed inside his pocket as he walked into the Go Institute, his signature backpack hanging idly on his shoulders. Entering the elevator, he hoped that Shinoda-sensei would be in even though insei class wasn’t on. Luckily enough, there he was with a few other people that he assumed were insei, just quietly reviewing a game around a board.

“Shinoda-sensei!” The boy called out, disrupting the 4 people in there and the addressed male turned around to face him. “Can I talk to you?”

Turning back to face his students, he said, “Alright, just have a think about how you’d respond if you were black in this situation. I won’t be long.” The two then disappeared into the corridor with a hushed complain from the older man about Shindou having to work on his manners.

Moving into a secluded room and closing the door behind them, Shindou shuffled to unzip his backpack and retrieve a few pages of A4 document that Shinoda recognised as a pro exam application form. The 3-dan gave him a look that silently told him to keep this one under the rug for now. He handed them to the man, along with a few kifu.

“Is it possible for you to enrol someone into the preliminaries without a lot of other people knowing?” Asked the boy.

“Well, yeah…” Shinoda muttered while glancing at the papers given to him. “I need to let the committees know and that means you’ll get past the receptionists and other professional game reviewers.”

It didn’t take long for the insei mentor to widen his eyes, and for his glasses to slowly slip down his nose, mouth moving to mutter something inaudible under his breath. Really didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the man was shocked at the quality of the games. He quickly skimmed through the 3 game records before finally checking the name of the applicant as well as his opponent’s.

[Black: Shindou Hikaru  
White: Fujiwara Sai  
Result: W+4.5]

[Black: Shindou Hikaru  
White: Fujiwara Sai  
Result: W+3.5]

[Black: Fujiwara Sai  
White: Shindou Hikaru  
Result: B+5.5]

If you were a Go player at all spending more than a few weeks delving into the game, you would most certainly already be familiar with the name “Sai”. Nowadays, it was becoming a compliment of the sort that people throw around when they saw a good game in NetGo. It was obvious to think that such an experienced player would also be someone of a mature age, hence unable to take the exam. Shinoda flipped through the paper to find the one containing personal details.

“25 years old?!” He practically screamed out.

“Sssh!” Shindou put an index finger on his lips. “I want him to take the pro exam preliminaries, but I don’t want to alert anyone. Can you do that for me, Shinoda-sensei?”

“Y-yeah, I can but…” He scratched his head in confusion. “Why didn’t he try going pro earlier? With this kind of skill, he’s just going to crush everyone in the prelim!”

“If I had a penny every time someone asks me that…” The boy crossed his arms after zipping his backpack tightly. “Promise you won’t leak this to anyone else?”

“I promise.” The male answered firmly, which was enough for Shindou to leave the matter in his hands. The boy quickly bid his farewell and left. Shinoda smiled to himself at the prospect of Fujiwara Sai appearing in the preliminary, threatening not only his competitions but the whole world of professional Go in Japan and all over the world. After Touya Akira and Shindou Hikaru who had disturbed the calm waters with their rain, this time, a storm is coming. _“I wonder how many will be brave enough to stay outside.”_ He mused.

.

Astonishment was one of the words that Waya would use as he thought back to the game against _saisei_ , most definitely _sai_. For the past hour, he had been reviewing the game on his own Go-board, opting to have dinner inside his bedroom which was rewarded by the less-than-pleased look by his mum, followed by a lecture about the importance of family dinner. He would usually agree, but at the moment he had a more pressing matter that required his attention.

In the middle of the game, his opponent had pointed out a board coordinate using the chat system right after he made his move. Waya hadn’t really noticed the significance of it as he had to focus on the match, being careful to not get distracted. Now that he had all the time in the world though, he could see just how brilliant that was. Sai had given him an advice, as short as it was. With that one move alone, he could probably have cut through Sai’s entire shape in the middle while threatening to bring two groups back alive. Waya played through every iteration in silence, sweat dripping down when he realised just how disastrous each and every one of those would’ve been for Sai. He tried to figure out a way for white to escape such predicament, but so far nothing struck his eyes. It was a scary thought that _sai_ probably would have found such move.

In the end, Waya lost by a large 8.5 moku, but it didn’t make him feel bad about himself. There were certain aspects of his plays that needed a bit of tweaking and Sai had made it blatantly obvious by ruthlessly attacking his weak points and cutting through his moyo. He could tell that Sai wasn’t holding back, and to be able to put up a fight against him and hold out until yose was an honour for Waya. He had to admit that he was a little selfish by letting the game run to endgame when he knew full well his fate, but he just couldn’t bring himself to resign. He wanted to know just how far he could go against Sai and what kind of message he had for him in form of his hands.

Silly and selfish as it might be, Waya thought that Sai was trying to show his respect by not passing a single turn to get the double passes that would end the match, neither did he avoid exploiting weaknesses and aji on the board to his own advantage, and he certainly didn’t lower his level of plays just so he could catch up. Sai knew that he was a professional and wouldn’t have it any other way.

“If this guy is really your teacher, you’re bloody lucky. I hope you know that.” Waya shook his head while thinking of his bleached-banged friend. What wouldn’t he give to spend even one day being tutored by Sai. Morishita-sensei would surely chastise him for even considering that. “I wonder if he’ll make a study session once he becomes a pro. That’d be nice.”

He finished what was left of his dinner before going back downstairs to help out with the dishes and apologised for bailing on a family dinner. Waya had been tempted to inform Isumi and Shindou about the match he just played but he finally decided against it. After everything that he had done, blabbering about Sai like that in front of Shindou, he didn’t want to make the situation worse. Instead, he started looking forward to the day when Shindou would introduce Sai to the world.

After all of the chores had been completed, Waya sat in front of his computer once more to dissect all of the games that Sai had played that day. Maybe he could learn a thing or two from them.

.

Shindou couldn’t believe that by the end of next week, Sai had played a total of 159 games—a whopping average of 19-20 games in a day. He started to wonder what the man had sacrificed to have such long concentration span like that. After only 5 games in a row, he usually would start to feel his brain starts to slow down, begging for a break. The most he can do in a day was probably 10, 12 at best. When he asked Sai about it, he simply scoffed with a childlike expression, arms crossed, and said:

“If you want to know, you should try being a one thousand years old spirit first, deprived of his life essence!”

 _Fair_. Shindou thought as he took a seat in front of the Go-ban to play Sai’s 20 th game that day. He sincerely hoped that it would be the last, or he would forever be ashamed of himself for tiring so easily. Grabbing the bowl of black stone by reflex, Shindou opened the lid and placed a stone on 3-4 komoku.

“It’s gonna be Gosei tournament prelim soon.” The boy started as he placed another stone in a response of Sai’s. “Can’t wait to knock that smug smirk off Ogata’s ugly mug.”

“You sure don’t like him, do you Hikaru?” Sai chuckled softly as the game continued to progress rather peacefully. Only for now, knowing the two men and how they have been playing lately. They never really treat their games as something less than a serious match.

“It’s not like I don’t like him!” The boy raised his voice, placing a black stone loudly on the board. “When I lost against him a few months ago, he said that Sai would’ve done better. Can you believe he said that to my face?!” Shindou sulked, although knew full well that there was no fault in that statement.

“I really can, though,” Sai giggled tauntingly, making a vein pop on his student’s face.

“Oh, so that’s how you’re gonna play it huh?! You’re going down, Sai!”

“Come at me.” The man said as he flipped his fan open, only answered by Shindou’s frustrated growl.

“What are they up to?” Asked Masao downstairs in the living room as he flipped through the TV channel with a cold beer in hand.

“It’s either that, or complete and utter silence. I’m not sure which one I prefer.” His wife sighed after seeing the two being so focused in the game that they didn’t hear her knocking on the door and tried to call their names. She really should learn Go, after all. Maybe that way, she’d finally understand.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Influence:** stones with influence do not make corner territory but serve as a threat to create a larger one in the centre
> 
> 再生 (Saisei): resuscitation; regeneration; restoration to life
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and comments, they really do make my day! Stay tuned for the next chapter: the pro exam!


	4. Eye Space

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for my sucky grammar :( never been my forte.

The pro exam preliminary.

Those 4 words were enough to put a grin on Shindou’s face as he slept last night. He had been waiting for this moment for a month and now it was here. Despite all the lectures he was going to get after telling Waya that he would skip Morishita-sensei’s study group today, Shindou felt no remorse whatsoever. Because, After all this time, Sai would finally make his first appearance and he was certain that it would hit everyone like a truck.

They took the train to the Go institution and Sai received a few glances here and there—probably due to that strange purple of hair of his that he brushed every day. The man settled with his usual dark purple kimono and stood straight in the train without the need of holding onto anything. Even when the train made an abrupt stop, he didn’t budge. At this point, Shindou wouldn’t be surprised if Sai got scouted by some modelling agencies or something, after all, he could probably balance the Eiffel tower on his head _and_ would still somehow manage to strut with elegance.

The entire time, the pro exam contender had his eyes shut and lips pursed tightly with his hands clasped in front of him. Shindou took the initiative to break the ice. “Nervous?” He asked.

Eyes fluttering open, Sai gave his student a smile. “On the contrary, I can hardly contain my excitement.” Answered Sai as he placed a hand on the left side of his chest. “My heart has been pounding so loudly since yesterday I feared I wouldn’t be able to sleep.”

“Don’t get panicky and lose all your games, now. That would suck.” Shindou grinned as the door beside them slides open.

Both males stepped out of the train and made their way to the institution with the younger one leaving the older one to regain his breathing and stabilise before his first match. He considered not escorting Sai into the venue as it would draw even more attention to the soon-to-be-pro, but after all the talk about the return of Sai, there probably wasn’t much that Shindou could do to garner more eyes for the man.

Once he stepped inside the institute, immediately everyone’s gaze laid on the pair. It appeared that all of them heard the rumour of Sai’s appearance as well as seen a picture of him. Shindou could see how people began to whisper among themselves and on the corner of his eyes, he saw Touya and Ogata standing next to each other. It looked like the two professionals were only there to see with their own two eyes whether or not Sai was joining the preliminaries that summer as they seemed to be satisfied at the sight and turned to leave straight after.

They entered the elevator and it began to ascend shortly after. Shindou stole a glance at Sai, who seemed to have gained focus through the way his eyes seemed to cut through the elevator door. He thought of the times he had been on the receiving end of such look and found a shiver ran down his spine. Soon, someone else would take his place, and he was curious to see how they would react.

It was unusual for professionals to observe the preliminaries on the spot rather than using the cameras. People argued that their presence would make the rookies nervous or something like that, but Hikaru would beg to differ. If the contestants become nervous from being observed, perhaps they weren’t ready after all. Of course, he had been all anxious too in the beginning, but with the proper training, he got over it.

“Afternoon, Shinoda-sensei.” Shindou bowed at the sight of the teacher, a gesture that was kindly returned. “A lot of participants this year too, huh?” He rested the back of his head on intertwined fingers and grinned at the number of people reading books and pacing around, writing the kanji for ‘human’ on their palms.

“Good afternoon, Shindou,” The bespectacled man paused a moment, taking time to inspect the person standing next to the young pro before continuing, “and Fujiwara.”

Sai bowed deeply, his long hair draping down from his shoulders. “Good afternoon.”

“Good luck on your games.” Shinoda said before walking away after Sai said his thanks.

“Well, here we are.” Shindou exhaled, looking around the place with a wave of nostalgia hitting him. It felt like it was only yesterday that he was just another insei, looking to step his foot into the world of professionals with a dream of catching up to his rival, Akira. “It’s gonna be like last time, Sai. You’re gonna draw your number and then play. Win three times, and you’re in for the real deal.”

The older male nodded, silently observing his surroundings to see a few familiar faces from a few years ago when he was Shindou’s resident ghost. Seemed like Fuku, Nase and a few others were sitting together on the desk, discussing a game and have yet to notice Shindou’s presence. It was probably for the best that they were left alone for now.

“Starting in 15 minutes, huh? You’re the one who’s taking the exam, but I’m the one who’s restless.” Said the boy as he shifted his weight to his right foot and crosses his arms. Even though he knew for sure that no one here had any chance against Sai (well, he hoped), Shindou couldn’t bring himself to stop overthinking. It was probably thanks to the people who had been staring at him and Sai ever since they entered the room, and by ‘people’ he meant 90% of the participants.

“What’s this? I didn’t know Sai’s participating…” Whispered one of the girls to her friend who nodded along, concern written all over his troubled face.

“I thought I’d have a good chance this year, but now Sai comes along, I don’t even know anymore.” Said another in a hushed whisper that wasn’t quiet enough.

“Is that _really_ Sai? No one’s confirmed it yet, right? I mean, it can’t be true. He looks my age!” “Guess everyone’s going to have a hard time.” “I hope I won’t play him on the first day. That would be bad for morale.”

Amidst all the murmurs that made both Sai and Shindou shifts away from the group, one man stepped forward and stopped the two in their track by slamming the door behind him loud enough it made everyone jump.

“Sai this, Sai that! Why are you guys so taken by this Sai?!” A man with dyed yellow hair yelled with the same intensity as the way he slammed the wall. “I mean, what are the chances that this is him? Maybe he’s just some prick who miraculously was named that from birth. You think NetGo’s _sai_ is the only Sai in the world?” He turned around at everyone’s silence. “Are you guys giving up already?!”

Initially, Shindou thought that this was going to be another one of the cliched I’m-so-much-better-than-you kind of scenario, but he was pleasantly surprised that the man actually meant well. His words encouraged other participants, and Shindou could see the light of hope slowly returning to their eyes.

“I admire him, but…” He looked at Sai, whispering under his breath just loud enough so that the addressed male could hear him. “Show them what you’re made of, Sai.”

Shortly, everyone was called to the match area and they immediately assumed a seiza along the walls of the room, waiting for their names to be called. People whispered nervously, hands fidgeting on their laps as they did so. Some looked calm, as if confident that they got this one in the bag, but some looked downright horrified. Shindou pitied the poor girl in the corner who seemed like she was on the verge of throwing up and he wished he could give her words of encouragement, although it probably wouldn’t do much good. Nase, Fuku and Uchida finally noticed Shindou standing near the door and gave him a small wave, a gesture that he returned.

“Yamada Etou,” The man near the box of numbers started, and a girl stood up to take a number before sitting back down. “Kirishima You,” He continued and Shindou started twiddling with his fingers inside his pocket, watching the participants getting up, bending over to pick a slip of paper and getting back to their original position. He was momentarily distracted at the thought of the Gosei preliminary that would happen in a week’s time. It was a long anticipated one, having developed slowly for more than a year. His first opponent was Gokiso 5-dan and even though he had crushed him a few times before, he still looked forward to making history repeat itself. It was a good chance to try and get promoted to at least 8-dan right away. But that would mean beating Akira. “Fujiwara Sai.”

At that, Shindou could see those whose heads had been focused on the ground, those who were _still_ writing ‘person’ on their palms, those with their eyes shut tight, suddenly stopped whatever they were doing and lifted their faces just in time for Sai to push himself up from seiza with the form of someone who didn’t know any other form of sitting, his kimono straightening as he came to a full standing position. Slowly, he made his way to the front of the room, eyes never leaving him for even a second. The purple strands that he pushed back behind his shoulder slowly creeped to the front and hung on his pale cheeks. Even the man in charge of the numbers looked stunned by such level of elegance.

With a bow, he walked back to his position and sat back down, only checking his number once settled.

As soon as the matchup was posted, everyone started crowding the large sheet on paper, some sighing in relief at the thought of not having to play anyone ridiculous on their first round, some seemed a bit tense, and some confident. Shindou giggled mentally at the sight—it was the prelim, alright. After all, he went through the same thing just a few years ago. At least there was no Tsubaki-san type of person there to unnerve everyone. He’d feel sorry for them.

Noticing that almost half of the group had settled down in front of the goban while the rest did their last bathroom round, some chomping aggressively on their muffins on the corridor trying to calm themselves down, or just walking outside for some fresh air, Shindou uncrossed his arms and starts looking for very eye-catching purple hair among the dark-haired participants. He noticed the tense shoulders around him as he walked past them and even though he wished they wouldn’t make such a big deal out of his presence, it was understandable.

Shindou assumed a seiza next to the board where Sai was located and gave him a small smile. Shortly after, a man of about 20 walked and joined them on the board. Poor thing looked like he was about to throw up but kudos to him for not turning tail and run. “I-Is it true? Are you really _s-sai_?” He muttered shakily, hoping for his own sanity that the man would deny it.

Sai considered not telling him the truth, but it would be unbecoming of him to lie to his opponent only to reveal the truth mid-game. So, he decided to nod gently, keeping his eyes fixed on the man in front of him. “I would be honoured if you give this game your all.”

There was something in the way he said that sentence and Shindou couldn’t put his finger on it. Somehow, without any complex advice or attempt at humour, Sai’s voice was very soothing, just like a lullaby. It was full of tenderness and respect and Shindou found his heartbeat slowing down. It seemed to have the same effect on Sai’s opponent as he managed to take a deep breath and looked more confident than before.

“Please,” The room said almost in perfect synchronisation as they bowed down when the buzzer signalling the start of the game rang loudly.

It didn’t take long for Sai’s opponent, Kawahiro, Shindou learned, to make his first move as black on 4-5 takamoku point, clearly trying to exert his influence on the centre. Sai seemed to have a different plan as he placed his first stone on a 3-4 komoku, trying to gain territory instead of influence. The first to approach was Sai which, after a few hands, ended in a standard joseki with black slowly developing a moyo towards the centre.

They exchanged hands and Shindou noticed that his opponent’s forte seemed to lie on hayago, much like Fuku. It could be daunting to play against such speed and easy to be roped into rushing, but Sai matched him equally in speed, cutting through black’s influence and invading with the intent to kill. Shindou almost cringed when Sai destroyed one of Kawahiro’s group’s eyes, resulting in a cluster that was slowly dying.

 _“Just like the popular saying… it’s all fun and game until someone loses an eye and dies.” The_ spectator smiled, feeling for Sai’s opponent.

The game progressed quickly with Kawahiro needing more and more time to think after each hand while slowly noticing the gap that constantly grew between him and his opponent. There were too many aji on the board for Sai to exploit, resulting in him holding the sente almost the whole match until Kawahiro bowed his head in resignation. The man played well—he made no mistakes, but against someone like Sai, you needed more than that to win.

Shindou hummed in approval as both males analysed the board, and when lunchtime came around, they discussed the game. Sai pointed out where Kawahiro could improve his stones’ efficiencies as well as some tweaks on joseki that would greatly improve his chance of sealing a large centre and pressuring Sai’s chance of winning. Kawahiro took all of the advices that his opponent gave, and he thanked him for the game. Shindou could tell that the 20-years old left satisfied and not at all shaken by the total loss.

“You’re a good teacher.” Said the boy suddenly as he took a large bite of the steaming hot pork bun on his hand, only for him to flail around at the burning sensation on his tongue.

Sai laughed at his student’s carelessness as he blew on the food to cool it down. “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be a candidate to mentor the emperor.” He replied, walking slowly towards the train station. “Besides, I’ve had a problematic student too. That must have taught me a lot about teaching.”

“Torajiro was a handful?” Shindou questioned, letting the bun let out its heat this time.

The older male shook his head, clearly amused. “I wasn’t talking about him.”

“Then—Oh, you bastard!” The younger male raised his voice as he slammed Sai using his shoulder hard enough to make him almost lose his balance. It was true though, he had to admit. If he was on Sai’s position, trying to get someone who doesn't have even the slightest interest in Go to play, he would get frustrated and quit. Looking back at it, he wasn’t exactly a shining example of the perfect student. He just somehow happened to be able to see the stain on the go-board.

“That match was refreshing.” Sai nodded in approval at the thought of the hayago that he played. “He’s quite skilled and I think he has a good chance of making it through the preliminary.”

Shindou hummed in agreement but quickly pursed his lips before raising a curious statement. “He didn’t get discouraged even after being thoroughly crushed by you. I somehow think that it’s not because of his amazing mental strength either. How did you do that?”

The spirit smiled as he replied, “I put myself in his shoes and think about what I’d like to hear. Nothing too over the top, because that’s just going to put even more expectation.”

“Hmm… well, anyway, I can’t wait to see you joining the pros.” The boy grinned in anticipation at the image of Sai being unstoppable and breaking the record for consecutive wins.

.

By the time Touya finished his study session and everyone else left, Akira found himself recreating the game that Shindou showed him last month in silence as he tried to wrap his head around the complex hayago that the two played. It should be impossible to have such complex fight within a short time—it wasn’t the best game that he saw from his rival, but it wasn’t like it’s bad. It was good—not great. He placed his finger on his chin contemplatively and found himself sighing at the improvement that had yet to show signs of stopping. With the re-appearance of Sai, he just knew that sooner or later, Shindou will leave him behind if he wasn't careful. He had to work even harder to keep the distance between them within arm’s reach or he might just lose his only rival.

Unbeknownst to him, his father had been looming behind him for the past few minutes, inspecting the go-ban but not saying anything. Next to him was Ogata who had been talking with the ex-Meijin outside before they noticed Akira’s sheer focus on the board.

Akira’s soft exhale broke his focus just enough that he noticed the shadow over the go board and he turned around to see the two men and his shoulders tensed. He wasn’t sure if Shindou would be happy that he accidentally showed the game to someone due to his own carelessness. Even though the boy would be none the wiser, it still wouldn’t sit right with Akira.

“This…” He started, considering wiping the board with his hands to remove the stones, but knowing the two professionals and their abilities to memorise kifu easily, it wouldn’t do much good. “Shindou… and—”

“Sai.” Ogata finished.

His father blinked before opening his mouth to speak. “Hayago?”

Akira was surprised to hear that his father was able to tell just from looking at the board, and he could see that Ogata had the exact same reaction. “Yes,” he replied. “Under 30 minutes, Shindou said.”

“That’s impossible.” Ogata’s glasses glinted under the light, trying to stop himself from believing that such a game could be finished in that short amount of time.

“It is not.” Responded Touya calmly, his arms crossing signifying the fact that he was deep in thought. “This is possible, but only when the two playing know each other’s habits on the top of their heads. It requires them to have played hundreds of times before. Perhaps this is the answer we have been looking for.” Touya closed his eyes, soft smile appearing on his lips. “Through this game alone, I can see that Sai and Shindou share a bond like I have never seen before. More than teacher and student, it almost seems like they are one entity. It’s no wonder I see a part of each other on their hands.”

Both Akira and Ogata said nothing at the insight that the ex-Meijin displayed and they found a slight guilt overtaking their conscience for intruding in their personal affairs at one point. As it is now, the only explanation they could come up with is Sai, whose circumstances made him unable to step outside, his only escape being Go until one day Shindou thought that the man passed away, taking his only reason to play Go and resulting in forfeits. And what did they do? They kept pestering the boy to find out more about Sai, disregarding his feelings completely.

“It’s a fearsome thought that one day we might see Shindou playing on Sai’s level, and Sai maintaining a hundred steps ahead of us.” Continued Touya, turning his head to face the bright sunset outside.

Hearing that coming from his father, Akira helped himself up to a stand and retreated into his room without so much as a parting word. He only had one thing in mind:

_“I refuse to fall behind.”_

.

“Fujiwara-san, good morning!” Chimed a cheerful voice when Shindou and Sai emerged from the elevator. Not far from them, Kawahiro waved his hand about. “And Shindou-sensei, good morning!”

“Good morning,” Sai simply said with a smile, bowing slightly while approaching the male. “Are you prepared?”

“Mm!” He nodded, both fingers curled as he answered with spirit. “The game yesterday had been an eye-opener. You found the weaknesses in my game that I didn’t even see. It was enlightening. Truly an honour to play you!” The man bowed over and over in eternal gratitude. “Because of you, I feel like I have a good chance at winning now.”

Sai seemed like he was overwhelmed for a moment at the barrage of words that struck him, but moments later, he laughed softly. “Good luck, Kawahiro-san. I’m glad I helped.”

After a good few minutes of chatting with who was Sai’s opponent yesterday, everyone was called inside the match area as it was about to start soon. Sai would be playing a girl of 16 named Chigusa who looked nervous and kept fidgeting with her hair, but not as bad as how Kawahiro had been yesterday. The whole time, she paced around the back of the room, mouthing “calm down, calm down” for over ten minutes before she took a deep breath and settled in front of the go-ban. This time, she looked at Sai with fire in her eyes, and the target of such look smiled, clearly looking forward to start.

This time, Sai played black as a result of nigiri, and he wasted no time to play his first move with confidence, an arm extending to reach the other side of the board and placing the black stone on 4-4 point. His opponent also felt no need for hesitation as she immediately responded with a stone, also on hoshi point. Chigusa, it appeared was a very aggressive player, as she didn’t play her second stone to secure a corner but resorted to premature kakari. Sai didn’t try to stop her, but he took the other corner using a komoku, which she answered by crawling under Sai’s stone using the 3-3 point.

It was obvious that the older male was having a good time through the way he maintained a smile the whole way through after receiving unique hand after unique hand. At the face of such aggressive moves, most people in the room would probably get flustered quickly, and perhaps play a mistake, but Shindou knew that it wouldn’t affect Sai in the slightest. He noticed he was right because the man had completely thwarted 80% of her invasion and aggressive hane, rendering their effectiveness to almost null by isolating them.

Their game was cut short due to lunch break but it quickly resumed and not long after that, Chigusa bowed her head in resignation. She clutched her shorts tightly until her knuckles turned white and judging by the shaking of her body, she was trying her best to not cry.

“You have such an exhilarating go.” Sai whispered loud enough for her to hear, but soft enough so that he wouldn’t disturb anyone else. The raven-haired girl slowly tilted her head to face Sai, eyes glistening with moisture and lips shivering. “Your aggressiveness makes your true ability shines—your tsumego.”

“I—” She swallowed thickly before she wiped the tears from her face. “Thank you. The reason why I started playing go is because I love solving tsumego.” She smiles with an expression that was not like how it had been.

“And it shows,” Replied Sai gently. “I can see that you know how to keep your group alive, and the enemy’s dead. If you keep polishing your style and know when you’ve overextended too much, you will do really well. Thank you for the game, Chigusa-san.”

“T-Thank you, Fujiwara-san. You are as good as they all said you are.” She smiled brightly before getting to her feet and walked out of the examination room.

“She looked happy.” Shindou muttered as Sai recorded his second win. “You’re quite the heartbreaker aren’t you, Sai?”

“Hikaru!” The other male squealed in protest at such suggestion, only making him chuckle in response.

By the third day, Shindou starts to notice a pattern. Everyone who played Sai, no matter how thoroughly crushed they were, always leave with a huge smile on their faces, as if they just won, Sai’s third opponent was no exception. Even though his hands were shaky in the beginning, he quickly recovered before midgame started and resigned shortly after the lunch break. Both Chigusa and Kawahiro won their games that day and had joined Sai and Shindou on the way back home, discussing some interesting points of their matchups and how they were glad that they played Sai early in the preliminary as it somehow encouraged them to play like they never did before.

It was nice to see that everything went pretty much the opposite of what Shindou expected was going to happen. Originally he thought Sai’s opponents would swallow the loss extremely hard and spiral into losing streaks, but his mentor has proven him wrong. On the contrary, the ones who he defeated so far started developing respect and fondness for him shown through their lack of hesitance when approaching him during lunch breaks or the start of the day.

Sai was friendly, Shindou gathered that much. Just like a breath of fresh air among the stiff world of professional, a world that only cared about your wins, your ranks, your titles; where the young were bound to be underestimated and the less gifted hard workers considered lucky. Sai didn’t care about such vain matter. His love for the game showed through the way he played, the way he treated his opponent and the way he thought of them as equal even if they weren't on the same level as he was. All those aspects combined turned him into an approachable and charming individual.

It was supposed to be a relief, but for some reason, Shindou felt a pang of jealousy. As Sai talked with his parents about mundane everyday subjects, he couldn’t stop his stomach from twisting and breaths from hitching in his throat. He had been there first, he went through a long journey with him, he laughed and cried with him and he had been the only one to suffer almost to the breaking point because of his disappearance, unable to consult anyone, unable to share the grief with anyone. Sai was supposed to be _his_ and no one else’s.

“Hikaru?” The man with long purple hair softly asked when he saw that Shindou wasn’t looking at the board. He was biting his lower lip, fingers clenched firmly on a black stone until the skin under his fingernails whitened. “Are you okay?”

That was enough to snap the boy back to reality and to mentally punch himself for thinking such petty thoughts. Sai was a great Go player, a magnificent one. Obviously, everyone would flock to him like the ray of sunshine he was. Shindou understood that eventually Sai would have his own life, have his own friends and play against someone else in an official match that wasn’t him. It _should_ be a good thing, his conscience said, but his head wasn’t agreeing with him.

“I’m fine.” He muttered under his breath as he extended his arm to place a stone on the growing arrangement of stones on the board. _“I’m fine.”_ He assured himself, suddenly feeling so small at the thought of Sai being taken away from him.

Sai noticed that something was amiss with Shindou through the way he spaced out, how his breathing became rather short and how slowly he played. “Hikaru, are you certain that nothing is wrong?” His voice was soft, almost a whisper.

Shindou relaxed his shoulders upon hearing the soothing tone and placed a stone on the board to respond to Sai’s hane without looking at him. “Sai, you’re not going to leave me, right?” He asked simply.

“Of course not.” Was his answer, and Shindou decided that it was enough to hold on to.

They finished the game in the next 30 minutes before they decided that it was time to sleep, and the day after Shindou decided to not accompany Sai in his prelim, trusting that he wouldn’t get picked on or anything like that. Instead, he went to the Go salon that he always plays Akira at to get some practice match, preparing himself for the Gosei prelim soon.

“Shindou, you’re early.” The boy with shoulder-length hair noticed him, cutting his conversation with Ichiwara short. Shindou shrugged off his backpack before putting it on the counter for the female to stash inside the rack.

“Yeah. Figured I’d check out on my rival who probably misses my wonderful presence.” He teased, walking towards the spot that they silently claimed as theirs. Other patrons understood this, and no one ever sat there, saying that it was the goban that had been through thick and thin from the way Akira and Shindou would play beautiful games on it just to slam it by accident one second later.

“I do not!” Akira exclaimed defensively and Ichikawa face-planted herself, muttering ‘it’s too early for this’. Both male threw themselves onto the seat after dragging it back to make leg space before grabbing a go-ke and opening them.

Immediately after, the sound of stones clacking against the wooden go-board became audible as the two immediately starts playing.

Akira glanced at Shindou, wanting to enquire about Sai’s performance in the preliminary. Not even for a second did he consider the possibility of him losing, but he would love some update. As if reading his mind, the boy spoke. “Sai’s doing really well. Better than I imagined.”

“How so?” Akira queried curiously as he continued the joseki that was unfolding on the board

Shindou rolled a stone between his fingers before steering off from a generic shape, adding a little bit of variation. “He inspires his opponents even after they got spat on by his Go. I don’t know why, but they always leave with a huge smile.”

“Hm,” The other young professional muttered, understanding where they were coming from a little. It hurt to lose against Sai on NetGo, but at the same time, it felt indescribably relaxing, like a huge weight had been removed from his shoulders. It was perplexing due to how Akira usually took his defeat. He would be frustrated and bothered by it for a few moments, but against Sai, he didn’t feel it as much. “Any interesting player?”

Shindou scratched his cheek as he tried to think of the matches that he saw Sai played and the ones he glanced at. “There’s this girl who seems like she likes living on the edge. Her hands are so aggressive she gave me a heart attack a few times, but it was pretty entertaining to watch.”

“Do you think she has a chance at passing?” Akira asked idly, disinterest resonated from his voice.

“You don’t even care. I don’t know why you bothered asking.” Shindou shrugged as he connected his stone to stop the other player from invading his territory any further.

Before Akira could respond, Shindou’s cell phone started ringing in his pocket. The boy slipped his hand inside to retrieve the object and pressed the green accept button before placing it against his ear.

“Hello?” He started.

 _“Is this Shindou Hikaru?”_ An unfamiliar voice crackled through the other end.

“Yeah.” Shindou responded shortly, slightly wondering why the man seemed to be a little frantic.

_“Fujiwara Sai collapsed during his match, and now he’s on his way to the hospital near the Institution.”_

Shindou paled when he heard the news and Akira noticed how blood seemed to be drained from his face as he abruptly got to his feet and ran for the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Eye space:** refers to the locations where it is possible to make an eye and potential life
> 
> \- Writing 'person' Hito (人) comes from an idiom. 人を飲む (literally translated to drink or swallow people) means to dominate over others. Basically by writing 人 (three times) on your palm and swallowing them, you are calming yourself by not being dominated/scared by the presence of the audience, as if you'd better swallow them before being swallowed.
> 
> I screwed up and didn't notice that the requirement of Gosei prelim is that you have to be a 5-dan. Oh well. Let's pretend this rule doesn't exist.
> 
> I'm updating really quickly because plot bunny is working and I just recently got booted off my drafting job because they don't have enough project going on. The fate of a filthy casual... Well, since I haven't been feeling like drawing much, writing and playing go are my only outlets when I'm at home. At the moment I generally finish about 5000 words in 2 days since my other job at an escape room is so relaxing that I can just write and watch videos as I watch over the customers.
> 
> Next chapter, Gosei prelim and the main part of pro exam will start! Thank you for leaving kudos and comments :D


	5. False Eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied. The pro exams isn't on this chapter. I forgot my hands have a brain of their own and they never want me to dictate any story. Well, enjoy anyway!
> 
> [Changed the summary of the story, added new tags]

“Good morning, Fujiwara-san!” Chimed two voices simultaneously as soon as Sai stepped out of the elevator. They were quick to approach him with big smiles on their faces. After their defeat in his hands, both of them had won their matches and now only need one more win in order to qualify for the main pro exam coming up in a month’s time.

“Good morning!” Sai greeted almost as excitedly as the two. After all, his matchup for the day was supposed to be the strongest contender in the preliminary, someone who also got 3 straight wins. He was excited to see what kind of hands he would see that day.

Kawahiro leaned sideways to look at Sai and he asked, “Shindou-sensei isn’t with you today?”

“No. He said he wants to get some practice match against Touya before his Gosei preliminary match in a few days.” Sai answered, taking off his slippers and slipping them inside the rack before walking inside, the two trailing closely behind.

“Gosei preliminary, huh? I wonder what kind of training will prepare you for that.” Chigusa placed her finger on her chin thoughtfully, unable to picture just how nerve-wracking it would be to compete for a title. “If he makes it to the final round, he will get promoted to 8-dan.”

“Yeah, but it also means that he has to beat other title holders, not to mention players who are doing really well for themselves lately. Kurata 8-dan is still unstoppable. I heard that he’s going to be promoted to 9-dan soon.” Kawahiro responded as he entered the match area and checking his opponent for the day.

“Hikaru will do just fine!” Sai insisted, bot hands clenched into a fist on his chest and he had an expression of a doting father. “I will personally ensure he wins all his matches!”

Both the male and female laughed at the abrupt and childish reaction. “You really are fond Shindou-sensei, aren’t you Fujiwara-san?”

“Well, naturally!” The oldest in the trio crossed his arms, eyes closed. “I’ve been with him ever since he first picked up a Go stone!” At the thought, Sai found himself smiling in nostalgia at how Shindou had grown from someone who showed apparent dislike and general disinterest at the game into a rising young professional that he was right now. He had such a gift for Go, and Sai was glad that he had been there to watch his growth first hand.

Kawahiro took a deep breath before exhaling it loudly. “Alright, I’m gonna go for a walk before the match. Best of luck!” He announced before excusing himself with a huff.

Both Chigusa and Sai took a seat on their designated go-ban, getting ready for the match that was about to start in a few minutes. Others might not be able to see it, but Sai tried his best to stop himself from bouncing on the cushion, still excited at his surroundings even after the third day. So many young people who shared the same passion for Go as he did. It was refreshing, to say the least, and a relief to see that even after a thousand years, nothing had changed.

After a few moments, someone approached the go-ban Sai was sitting near and assumed a seiza in front of him. A bleached-blond male that he realised, was the one who encouraged everyone intimidated by Sai on the first day, Yosuke. With ice-cold brown eyes directed at him, he spoke.

“You’re _saisei_ , right?” The frustration clear in his tone, and Sai nodded in confirmation. “You probably don’t remember me, but you beat me at NetGo.” Continued the man as he balled his fists. “That wasn’t my best game, and I’m determined to beat you today.”

The purple-haired male flipped open his ogi fan to cover his lips and returned the glare with the same intensity. “And I will gladly accept your challenge.” Sai had never been one who didn’t appreciate the beauty of determination and how far it can take you, after all.

As if on cue, the buzzer rang signifying the start of the match. Sai couldn’t be any more ecstatic when his fingers reached the stones that clattered under his touch, and how their cold glassy surface felt so right under his middle finger and how musical it was when he placed the black bead on top of the wooden board. He started the game with a komoku and his opponent answer with a takamoku, followed by a hoshi from Sai and komoku by the other male. Instead of doing a kakari, Sai decided to enclose one of his corners and Yosuke was the first to invade.

They exchanged hand after hand and Sai slowly realised that he indeed, was a bright player. He had a very sound knowledge of tsumego and joseki, and able to handle unexpected moves that Sai played with the right balance of offensive and defensive. It was obvious that he had yet to reach anywhere close to his level, but it was quite exhilarating to experience such burning passion from the teenagers in this era, it truly reminded him of why he loved Go. The mature might be equipped with an arsenal of experience, but the younger generation could quickly close that gap using their ingenuity as well as flexibility.

Just as Sai tried to reach for another stone to answer the kata-tsuki played by his opponent, he could feel his breath hitching in his throat and his vision starting to blur all within a few seconds. Stinging pain creeped its way into his head, squeezing his brain as he wheezed for oxygen that he couldn’t get. The man in front of him snapped out the tranced focus as soon as he heard a raspy breath followed by coughs coming from the other side.

“Hey, are you—” He didn’t get to finish his question as the man collapsed on top of the go-board with a loud thud that grabbed everyone’s attention.

“Fujiwara-san!” Chigusa exclaimed in horror at the sight of the unconscious male, and a few others stood up in reflex to check if he was alright.

The judge quickly ran towards Sai after telling everyone to get seated, settle down and continue with their match. It was easier said than done, as everyone’s attention was still fixed on trying to figure out what happened so suddenly. A few other appeared from the corridor, and Shinoda 9-dan had fished out his phone out of his pocket to call an ambulance, and then Shindou.

.

Akira wasn’t sure what had gotten into Shindou when he just upped and left like that. Without much regard about anything else, he decided to push the chair backwards with such force it fell on the ground before charging after the boy. Ichikawa and the other patrons looked at the two in confusion as they ran outside.

Shindou didn’t notice the extra footsteps keeping up with him as he made his way to the hospital near the Go Institute, ignoring the pitter patter of the rain all around him. He was coming up with the worst possible scenario in his head and tried as he might to banish such thought, he was unable to. The gods wouldn’t be so cruel as to return Sai to him only to take him back, right? That would be just... just... painful.

His heart hammered in his chest as he ran faster than he ever before, as fast as his feet could take him. When he entered the hospital, he saw Shinoda standing near the reception and Shindou immediately ran towards him.

“Shinoda-sensei! Sai—where is he?! Is he okay?” He grabbed his white shirt, rushing to get an answered and chanting ‘please be safe’ in his head like a mantra. Akira caught up to him shortly after, just in time to hear Shindou calling out Sai’s name and he, too, was put on alert at the thought of something bad happening to the internet legend.

“He’s in room 202, the second floor.” Was all he said before the boy ran past him and towards the stairs, Akira following him once more until they reach their destination and slammed the door to the room open.

“Sai!” Shindou yelled out, making the doctor who had been treating Sai flinch. The male with bleached bangs quickly approached the man lying on the bed with an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth, concern evident in his eyes. “Sai!”

The doctor looked at the boy who was almost in tears at that moment before deciding to speak. “May we speak outside?” He queried and somehow managed to tear Shindou away from Sai and walked outside, closing the door behind them. “Are you his family member?”

“I’m—yes. I’m the closest he has to a family member.” The 3-dan quickly replied, still shaken by what he saw. “Is he okay? What’s wrong with him?” Akira moved next to him, keen to hear the answer.

“He has stabilised for now, but I strongly suggest that he remains here until we finish running tests, perhaps another two days.” The man in white lab coat calmly explained to the frantic boy in front of him. “From what I gathered, his blood failed to deliver oxygen to his brain momentarily, and that’s why he collapsed. It’s very strange.”

“What do you mean by that?” Shindou blinked in confusion. The doctor didn’t seem to bear any terrible news or anything, definitely didn’t look like he was going to break the fact that Sai was suffering from some terminal illness or anything. That alone gave Shindou a degree of comfort, but not enough for him to unclench his fists.

“Fujiwara-san doesn’t display any symptoms of cardiogenic shock or intracerebral haemorrhage, so the closest to this I can think of is asthma, but it usually develops when they are younger.” The man seemed pensive for a moment, trying to make sense of the whole situation. “I can’t put my finger on it. It’s almost like he’s not used to his own body.”

“Oh.” Was Shindou’s reply before he fell silent and tried to peek behind the doctor to take a look at Sai who seemed so weak and helpless with the oxygen mask on him.

“Is he going to be okay?” Akira asked, concern clear in his eyes.

“Yes. He will be fine. However, I strongly suggest that he stays here for the next week or so, just so we can finish our test and see if he will have another one of this occurrence.” The doctor nodded at both Shindou and Akira before excusing himself, telling them that if they need any assistance to press the button next to the bed.

Without saying anything, Shindou helped himself into the room, dragging a seat next to Sai to take a closer look at him. His eyes were closed, skin paler than he remembered and lips slightly open, steam forming on the oxygen mask as he breathed in and out. He didn’t seem to be in any pain, and for that, Shindou was happy. It wasn’t enough to bring him comfort, however.

“You said you won’t ever leave me, right?” He mumbled as he clutched his pants tightly that they crinkled. “You won’t lie to me right, Sai? Come on, open your eyes.” Shindou continued, this time a little louder. “It hurt, you know, when you left. Those two years without you, I finally learned how to not let it get into me so much, but it always hurt whenever it does.”

Akira stood at the door, listening to the shiver in Shindou’s voice, how it made him sound so pitiful unlike his usual bright self. He couldn’t help feeling like he was intruding, but he didn’t want to leave the boy alone either. So, ignoring any repercussions, he walked into the room and stood next to Shindou.

“He must be very dear to you.” Akira whispered after silence overtook the room.

The boy with bleached bangs said nothing as he wiped the tears that threatened to fall out of his eyes. After a few moments to gather his thoughts, he finally replied.

“I feel closer to him than my own family.” Shindou exhaled, eyes never once leaving Sai. “Whenever I’m with him, I feel at home. He’s—” Hiccup escaped from his throat. “He’s the reason why I’m here. He’s the reason why I get to meet you, Waya, Isumi-san, everyone else. Without him, I...” Shindou paused when he felt a choke on his throat as he tried to imagine a life where Sai was not a part of it. The thought alone made him feel a rough twist in his stomach and he bit his lower lip to stop a pathetic noise from escaping. “Without him, I probably won’t have a purpose in life. I’d be wandering around aimlessly, maybe get a job in a convenience store.”

Akira listened to Shindou’s confession and noticed how short and ragged his breathing was. He could tell that Shindou was desperately trying to hold back his tears and even though he wanted to try to tell him that it was going to be okay, it wasn’t his place. He didn’t know anything about Sai and Shindou to start making worthless remarks.

The room was overtaken by silence once more. Akira watched how the white curtain danced and how the flower in the vase near the window moved due to the cool breeze. The light rain was deafeningly loud outside as his mind tried to untangle the mess in his brain that is Sai and Shindou's relationship.

“I never did tell you how I met him.” Shindou disturbed the silence and Akira looked at him. “You’ll probably think I’m mental if I tell you the truth. That’s why I’ve kept it a secret from everyone.”

“I won’t force you to. It’s your own personal secret, and I do not want to impose.”

It really wasn’t fair of him to keep it under the rug any longer. All this time, he had kept Akira in the dark and unlike Waya, he had been patient, never once questioning him about it. Perhaps it was time to reveal the truth after all, ridiculous as it may sound. If Akira chose to not believe him, at least he would be able to convince himself that he tried.

“As long as you don’t interrupt me.” Shindou inhaled deeply when the boy next to him nodded and dragged another seat next to him. “You must be surprised that someone of Sai’s age can play a Go like that. The hands that he makes seem like it’s a work of a professional with years and years of hard work, practice and talent.” Shindou felt his heart starting to pick up in speed. “That’s because it is. You see, Touya. Sai is much older than he looks.”

Akira eyed Shindou, still unsure of what the boy was suggesting. Sai didn’t look a day over 30 if anything. He didn’t seem to have any make-up either despite his fair complexion. However, he promised to not disrupt the boy and so he kept his mouth shut.

“Have you heard the story of a Go prodigy in the Heian era?”

The green-haired individual was confused by the sudden question and he shook his head lightly. So Shindou enlightened him, without using Sai’s name just yet, on how Sai’s opponent had tricked everyone to believe that Sai cheated, and unable to bear the shame of being accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he drowned himself.

Akira listened to the story word for word. He had never heard of such story, tragic as it was, but if Shindou bothered telling him, there must be a meaning behind it, right?

“That man was given a second chance. As a restless spirit, he appeared before Kuwabara Torajiro and he guided him until he became who we know as Honinbo Shuusaku.” The boy paused a bit and closed his eyes, not wanting to look at the look on Akira’s face. “But when he died an early death, the spirit once again was without a home until one day, a selfish boy who knew nothing of Go found an old Go board in his grandparent’s basement, and wanted to sell it for pocket money, and that was when he appeared before the boy.”

Akira was having serious trouble keeping up with the story that suddenly turned into a supernatural genre. Surely, it must be an analogy of sort. It had to be.

“That boy’s name is Shindou Hikaru, and the spirit’s is Fujiwara no Sai.”

Forehead scrunched together to form a frown, and lips agape in complete befuddlement, Akira didn’t even have any strength to say anything. It sounded _absolutely_ insane, and he knew that Shindou thought so too from the way he desperately tried to not look his way.

“The first time I beat you, it was Sai who played the game,” Shindou said, voice getting softer by the second. “He guided me, he taught me everything I know about Go and he disappeared on the 5th of May, 2 years ago.”

“...And that was when you forfeited all your matches to visit Honinbo Shuusaku’s grave.” Akira finished the story. It was still too shocking for him to comprehend, but it was terrifying how much light it shed on the current situation. The fact that he had thought that elementary grade Shindou was Sai, how he suddenly lost all his skill the second time they played, and Shindou’s reluctance to discuss it with anyone else. It all made sense. His father also mentioned something a few days ago about Sai and Shindou, how their Go seemed to imply that they were not only teacher and student but almost like one entity.

If he didn’t know his rival any better, he would’ve thought that he was pulling his leg by spouting such nonsense, but it really wasn’t the time and place for Shindou to be lying about anything. His Go against Sai was the solid proof of that. A bond that was forged with time and the comprehension that could only be formed through hundreds of games together. There was no way that Akira could deny the story.

Shindou leaned back against the chair, suddenly feeling that a huge weight had been lifted his shoulders. Even though his rival probably wouldn’t believe a single word he said, he was relieved to finally share his story with someone else.

As if reading his mind, Akira muttered, “I believe you. I know that you are telling the truth.”

“There are a lot of things that I thought you’d say, but that wasn’t one of them.” Shindou blinked, finally having the courage to look at the boy standing next to him, who returned the gaze, eyes firm. “But I guess now you know why I don’t tell this to anyone.”

Akira nodded but then a smile formed on his lips. “It must be a relief then, having him back.”

“Mm.” Shindou simply hummed.

“If this is truly the case...” Akira pursed his lips, trying his best to not let logic get the better of him as it was one thing for him to believe that spirits exist, but it would be another to believe that theycould magically be reborn as humans. It proved to be a difficult feat for his head to overcome, but somehow he managed to by letting his respect for Shindou clouds his judgement. "I can't imagine that he has any legal documents. He would need to submit citizenship details prior to the pro exam."

Hearing that, Shindou knew that his job was far from over. He scratched his head as he tried to come up with solutions as to how to go about it. He didn’t have any connection with any government officials or lawyer or anything and creating illegal documents sounded awfully dangerous. Would his money help at all? He also had to have everything settled in a little over four weeks, and he cursed himself for not taking this loophole in his plan into consideration.

"Yeah, uhm..." He trailed off after being totally stumped. "Aaargh, I don't know! Why didn't I think of that?!" Shindou scratched his head once more, this time more roughly. He really should have glanced through the terms and conditions before agreeing.

Akira exhaled after hearing the answer that he expected. "Ogata-san might be able to help."

Shindou frowned at the mention of that name and he looked at the other boy. "How? Because he's obscenely rich and he can bribe government officials to do his bidding?"

"No, Shindou." Akira shook his head although he fully understood that his rival hadn't been close enough to the Judan to understand his family circumstances. "Ogata-san's mother is a doctor and his father works for the government."

"Oh, so his parents are  _also_ obscenely rich--wait, are you serious?"

"Yes." The boy with shoulder length hair replied. "His relationship with them is really shaky and nowadays I think that he would rather avoid any communication with them, so it would take some convincing to get him to help you." He continued. "I don't think you have the luxury of time, so this is probably your best course of action unless you have something else in mind."

Akira was right and he knew it. As much as he hated to admit it, this time he would have to somehow convince Ogata to help him. Thankfully, he had an edge as the man who needed the help was no other than Fujiwara Sai. Perhaps--hopefully, that would soften him a little although he would have to create one hell of an elaborate lie or alternate truth to explain Sai's situation.

His train of thought was disrupted as jerked up when he saw Sai stirring. “Sai? You’re awake?” He leaned forward to stop the man from propping himself up, wanting him to take it easy before he pulled any sudden movement that might have negative impact. When he saw Sai’s lips started to move in an attempt to say something, he gave him a worried look.

“The match...” The man whispered, fogging up the oxygen mask. “I didn’t get to finish it.”

Shindou’s expression softened after hearing the first thing that escaped from the ultimate Go nerd, and he laughed. “You idiot. You already passed the preliminary anyways. Don’t worry about it.”

“I was looking forward to it...” Sai muttered dejectedly as he relaxed on the soft bed underneath him. It creaked softly as he did so. “Where am I?”

“The hospital. You passed out.” Shindou explained as he bent his legs to sit back down after seeing that Sai was completely fine. “Made me worried sick, you bastard.”

“Are you feeling better, Fujiwara-san?” Asked Akira.

“I’m well, thank you, Touya-sensei.” Sai smiled softly upon seeing his student’s lifelong rival for the first time since he stepped foot in Earth again. He really had matured, much like Shindou had.

“Please, Touya is fine.” Akira returned the smile and paused for a moment. “Congratulation for passing the preliminary, although I had no doubt that you would.”

“Thank you.” The oldest male in the room retorted and a few seconds later started wondering what the object on the lower part on his face was, only for Shindou to explain to him what an oxygen mask was and him to be very impressed by technological advances. “How’s your preparation for Gosei preliminary coming along?”

“Didn’t really get much done today.” Shindou shrugged. “The main tournament is just a month away, huh? Does it start the same time as the pro exam?”

“I believe so.” Akira confirmed, placing his finger contemplatively on his chin as he leaned forward and glanced at Shindou who seemed to be deep in thought. “Worried, Shindou?”

“Hell no!” The boy straightened his back and slammed his fist on his lap in an aggressive denial. “I was just thinking of the ways I’d beat Ogata and what to say to him after I steal his title. Gotta make it memorable, alright?”

Akira could feel a vein popping in his head when he heard what his rival had to say and the underlying meaning behind the sentence. “Are you implying that you will one hundred percent win against me?”

“Yeah, I am!” He leaned towards Akira, only for the gesture to be returned and soon, they were head to head, literally. “I beat you last time, I can do it again!”

“You really are getting cocky, Shindou! That was only one win, and I’ve beaten you all the other times! You’re the one who’s going to lose!” They growled at each other for a good few seconds before they crossed their arms and retreated with a loud ‘hmph!’ “Well, in any case,” Akira started after he cleared his throat in an attempt to regain the composure that seems to be easily decimated whenever Shindou was anywhere near him. “Taking a title will not be easy, but this time the challenger might have some edge against Ogata-san.”

Interest piqued, the boy with bleached bangs looked at Akira. “Is it because of the Meijin prelim?”

“Yes. It’s going to start shortly after Gosei’s and so is Tengen. From what little bit of dialogue he had with my father, I gathered that he is going to try to focus on the Meijin preliminary, so he had been studying a lot of Ichiryuu Meijin-Kisei’s kifu.”

The thought that his potential opponent wouldn’t be at a hundred percent bothered Shindou, but he decided to shrug it off and think about it later. “I heard Ichiryuu Kiseii’s in a bit of a slump right now because his wife got in a car accident?” A statement which was confirmed by Akira’s nod.

“Seems like everything is going at once...” Sai mumbled at the explanation.

“Hmm...” Shindou hummed, rocking his chair back and forth idly. Now that Sai was back, his chance of progressing through the Gosei tournament might just increased.

“Hikaru, I will be attending tomorrow’s match, right?” The man on the bed asked with a tone that was somewhat pitiful that all Shindou wanted to do was say yes. But, the doctor did say that to be safe, he should stay in the hospital for now.

“You’ll be here for one week. I don’t want you fainting again, got it?”

“Eeeeehhh?” Sai looked like he was on the verge of tears upon being denied another game in the preliminary.

“You’ll find strong opponents during the exam, don’t worry! And I promise I’ll come here every day. Maybe bring a magnetic go-ban too while I’m at it.” Shindou crossed his arms at the childish display, very typical Sai. Akira looked at the older male, and then at his rival, hoping that he would get invited to their practice session too. Shindou noticed the look, and he inhaled deeply. “You’re not invited, Touya.”

“But—“

“Why not, Hikaru? Wouldn’t it be better if there are more of us?” Said Sai, his eyes sparkling at the thought of playing a game against Akira, one of the many opponents he would love to have a rematch against.

“No! I mean…” The boy trailed off, unsure of what excuse he could use. Because Sai was _his_ teacher? That sounded absolutely selfish. He didn’t want anyone else to improve? That also was far from the truth. Finding himself stumped for a continuation of the sentence, he scratched his head and exasperatedly said, “Fine. Whatever.” At that, both Akira and Sai’s expressions flared with joy and it made Shindou mildly uncomfortable.

They spent the rest of the visiting hour chatting away about Go, and everything unrelated to it as well, like how Shindou saw Mitani in a Go event he visited a few months ago, how he stumbled upon Tsutsui in a random Go salon, saw Kaga in some young shogi championship on TV, visited Akari in her Senior High Go Club and played simultaneous shido-go with the members and even elaborated a great deal about the Hokuto Cup finals against the Koreans. The two young pros vowed to show the jaw-droppingly gorgeous game Shindou played against Ko-Yeong Ha, something that even Akira agreed on.

When Shindou got home, his parents had been disappointed to hear that Sai wouldn’t be joining them, and downright terrified when they heard that he collapsed and was now being treated in the hospital. His mother insisted that Shindou should bring a packed lunch for Sai tomorrow since hospital food was not that great.

When the next day rolls around, Shindou had a backpack full of hot tea, boxed lunch for three (Akira, Sai and himself) and a magnetic go-board. He felt like a kid on his first day of kindergarten. What would complete the set was a kiss on the cheek from his mother. The boy grunted all the way as he ascended the stairs to room 202.

“Afternoon, Shindou.”

“Good afternoon, Shindou.”

“You’re a bit late.”

Came three different voices of varying depth, and Shindou found himself rooted to the ground, tumbleweed might as well blow behind him. It wasn’t just Akira in the room, but Ogata Judan and Touya Kouyo sat there next to him with a wooden go-board already on the desk beside Sai. The man was pretty much brimming with _so_ much happiness Shindou thought flowers might start growing all over the floor.

“I wasn’t expecting guests.” Was the first thing he said as he settled his backpack neatly in the corner.

“I didn’t say anything. They heard the news themselves. When I arrived, they were already here.” Akira said defensively at the dirty look Shindou shot him.

Touya brought himself up to a standing position as he glanced at the young pro with a small smile, and then back to Sai. “It has been a pleasure meeting you in person, Fujiwara-sensei.” Said the ex-Meijin shortly.

“Likewise, Touya-sensei.” Sai returned the politeness with the same amount of fire behind the sentence, as if silently challenging each other to a re-match that has yet to be decided.

Excusing himself, the man left the room quietly, leaving a remaining total of four people inside. Shindou’s eyes shifted to Ogata and he spoke, “Well, aren’t you gonna leave too?” It probably wasn't the best course of action considering that he needed the man's help very soon, he realised right after he said those words.

“Oh, I think I’ll stay.” Replied the bespectacled man as he crossed his legs and then his arms. The corner of his lips tugged slightly to form a small smirk that showed that he revelled in Shindou’s eternal suffering. Truly infuriating. “I heard you’re going to have a practice match of the sort. I’d like to join.”

“ _You’re not invited._ ” Shindou hissed in irritation, although it only served to make Ogata chuckle in amusement. The man clearly decided that it was more entertaining to vex the young pro next to him rather than getting on his good side.

“Hikaru, let him join!” Sai’s eyes shone once more with anticipation, hoping to play another game against the Judan after Akira. To Shindou’s dismay, Ogata tilted his head slightly backwards and towards him, still with a smirk, knowing full well that he had no power to refuse Sai’s wishes.

 _“Ogata-san sure is cruel.”_ Akira thought in his head after watching the interaction unfolded between the two.

With a loud exhale, Shindou bent over to unzip his bag and retrieved a magnetic go-ban and he placed it on top of the desk that Ogata had dragged towards them. They quickly shuffled around the room to arrange it into a small Go-championship-like design. Sai slowly came up to a sitting position before hopping onto one of the more comfortable chairs and swung his legs back and forth in excitement.

The first match they decided to play was Sai against Akira and Shindou against Ogata with the first pair using the go-board that belonged to the hospital. Since they wanted to have more than just one or two games, they decided to make it a round of hayago with only 10 seconds per move.

Sai’s elation was evident when he heard the first black stone being placed on the board by his opponent on komoku. Taking one white stone from the go-ke, he answered Akira’s hands and so, the game of speed started. Akira managed to keep up with Sai, who seemed to use only around 3-5 seconds of his allocated time per turn and truly, such speed amazed him. Sai kept denying him the second eye that he badly wanted to make for his group in the top left corner until he reverted his attention somewhere else, deciding to crawl into the centre where there were no white stones nearby. Not wanting to weaken the stone he had just a few spaces underneath Akira’s, he too, crawled to the centre.

Ogata thought about how Shindou had clearly improved from the last time they played each other. Even in a game of hayago, he saw how efficiently his stones cut up his territory and how difficult it was to find a spot where he wouldn’t be under threat. At the moment, Shindou’s black had the upper hand, but they were only in the beginning of the mid game where it would be more than possible for most to turn it around. Ogata observed the board for any cutting point to bypass Shindou’s thin wall towards the centre and he took advantage of it, making the game increasingly hard for the boy.

Sai had a huge smile on his lips as the game progressed deeper into mid-game and almost yose. The last time they played each other was that NetGo session a few years ago, and this was an Akira on a whole another level. He was behind on territory, but it wasn’t a horrendously large lead that Sai had and the young professional certainly didn’t make it easy.

At the sound of a stone clattering back into the go-ke, Sai lifted his face just in time to see Akira bowing his head in resignation, knowing that he was going to lose by at least 6.5 moku. Had it been a real match, he would be a lot closer in terms of points, but in a game of hayago where he didn’t know what his opponent was truly capable of or their ever-changing style, it was difficult for him to catch up.

“It was a beautiful game, Touya.” Sai smiled. “Shall we?” He looked at the go-board and started to clean it up to make room for their post-game review. As they start to place the hands that they made early in the game, they heard Shindou’s loud frustrated exhale as he crossed his arms, looking less than pleased with the outcome of the match.

“I resign.” He conceded bitterly and both men started to clear the magnetic board, also for review purposes.

It took longer than expected to finish discussing the matches and the whole time, noise buzzed from the room. Sai pointed out where Akira could have done better in terms of stone efficiency, and how he had played a little too defensively that led to Sai conquering the majority of the board. Ogata, surprisingly, didn’t use any condescending tone when explaining to Shindou the true purpose behind the one stone he played so close to the tengen. Behind that stiff attitude, Shindou was surprised that Ogata was actually a pretty good teacher, although not as good as Sai.

After they finished the lunch given to them by Shindou’s mother, and waited for Ogata to return, they resumed their practice game session. This time Ogata played against Sai, and the young professionals against each other. It ended in Ogata’s and Shindou’s resignation, and another round of discussion session with Shindou and Akira desperately tried to not start screaming in the hospital as it would be unbecoming.

Ogata and Akira really had been looking forward to playing Sai, but there was also one more game that they looked forward just as much as their own: Sai versus Shindou. They wanted to see with their own two eyes just what kind of moves they would pull and if they would be on the same level as the game that they saw.

The two didn’t seem to notice that they were being watched as they looked at each other, fingers dipping into the go-ke to retrieve a stone. One second after Shindou’s black stone touched the smooth wooden board, Sai’s followed. Neither male seemed to flinch at the speed in which the game was progressing, stone after stone, hand after hand, neither showing any signs of slowing down. Shindou, aggressive in his moves kept pushing Sai’s stones away from the centre using shoulder hits and hane that both Akira and Ogata would never dare to use against someone of Sai’s calibre in fear that they might get swallowed whole. Shindou showed no hesitation or fear as he continuously jabbed his sword at his opponent who gracefully avoided being cornered.

The game was dead even by the time they reached the middle of their chuban, and they showed no sign of slowing down any time soon. The moves Shindou made might seem overly aggressive to some, but they were in no way, careless throwaway hands. The only reason he was brave enough to continuously be on the attack was because he knew Sai’s habit inside out, and how he _needed_ to hold the sente most of the game to have any chance of winning at all. Slowly, the game reached the ending of the mid-game and the one with the lead was Shindou, whose attention still fixed on the board. Even though the spectators wanted to see if there was any way white could bring himself back from the brink of defeat, they couldn’t catch up. Stones kept piling on the board every three seconds, completely throwing them off their train of thought.

Clack.

Everyone in the room paused, even Shindou. Ogata and Akira blinked at the move that Sai just played, a move that they never saw coming. With one stone alone, he managed to significantly reduce black’s territory on the left-centre of the board that they thought was locked up tightly by Shindou. With one stone, Sai changed the entire flow of the game in his favour.

Shindou’s eyes scoured the board, looking for a way to expel Sai’s stone out of his area, but finding none. His heart hammered in his chest as he bit his lower lip and played the best move that he could see, but it wasn’t enough to turn the battle in his favour as after a few more hands, Shindou lost his ground and muttered, “I resign.”

Sai looked at the disappointment in his student’s face, eyes dark with the aftertaste of defeat. He didn’t see it. Shindou hadn’t seen the one iteration that he could play to cut him up on the lower-left territory, a move that would have allowed him to catch up. Sai closed the fan he didn’t realise he had opened and removed the last few stones that Shindou made, not saying anything as he did so.

He sat still, back straight as he looked at his student who in turn, returned the gaze. The boy and the two other spectators looked at the board, frowns on their faces as they tried to figure out a move that would have recovered Shindou’s footing as subtly implied by the look on Sai’s face. The man clearly wasn’t about to give them the answer any time soon.

Akira swallowed. He couldn’t see it, and neither could Shindou. They played through different variations of moves that they could take in their heads, but none would allow the boy to catch up with the drastic lead Sai took for himself. Seconds passed, and it turned into minutes. No one could tear their eyes away from the board until Ogata’s eyes widened, an inaudible gasp escaped from his throat and his eyebrows scrunched together.

Sai noticed that the man saw what he saw as their eyes locked, and Sai gave him a small smile. Ogata found himself conquered with a feeling pride for finding a seemingly insignificant move that would have turned the battle in Shindou’s favour, but also dread, because Sai had not only seen it, but he saw it within seconds. The man was truly brilliant, and he couldn’t stop a sweat from dripping down from his forehead.

The man in kimono wasn't about to give away the answer for free. He wanted Shindou and Akira to figure it out on their own. It would be their little homework for the day, or week.

“Well!” Sai hit his hands against each other, making the two young professionals near him jolted in surprise. “Let’s discuss the game, shall we?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **False Eye:** is something which possibly looks like an eye, but really isn't one.
> 
> Thanks for the encouraging comments, everyone! You guys are amazing <3


	6. Under The Stones

Shindou had been pacing around the Go institute’s ground floor for the past few minutes as he nibbled on his nails with a frown on his face. He had a yellow t-shirt with number 5 written on it, a plaid shirt he wore a jacket and his sneakers squeaked against the tile floor as he continuously walked back and forth. Akira stood near the elevator, rolling his eyes after tiring himself out by following Shindou’s movements for the past fifteen minutes.

“Would you please settle down? If no one knew any better, you would already be dragged away by security.” Said Akira half-frustratedly.

“I’m trying to think!” The boy with bleached bangs retorted but still yet to stop moving as he tried to come up with an excuse to convince Ogata to help him making a fake birth certificate and ID for Sai. The man looked like an awfully logical sort of guy that any explanation he made up in his head sounded a little farfetched. He wished Akira would help him too, but he could still sense some sort of scepticism in his tone at the uncensored story he told him yesterday.

As he moved his fists up and down with uneasiness, the elevator dinged before the doors slid open revealing a man in the white suit, blue shirt and yellow tie. Shindou immediately stopped in his track and looked at the man before waving awkwardly.

Ogata raised one of his eyebrows as he stepped out, glanced at Akira who only shrugged and then back at the other professional whose anxiety seemed to seep out of every crevice of his body. It was a little unnerving, to say the least, but he quickly covered it up with a smile in an attempt to rile the boy. “Shindou!” He practically chirped, looking like he just destroyed an opponent by fifteen moku. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Shindou wanted no more than to run and throw up in a nearby toilet at the obvious sarcasm but he steeled himself and gave Ogata a smile. “I—uh, I just wanted to know how you went on your match!” Behind Ogata, Akira already buried his face in his hands in second-hand embarrassment.

“I won,” Said the bespectacled man simply, sensing the ulterior motives behind Shindou’s friendliness. He pushed his right hand into the pocket on his pants and looked at him questioningly before walking towards the exit with both young professionals trailing behind him. “Did you want a game?” He asked.

“Hm? Oh, no. No.” Shindou shook his head, watching Ogata unlocking the door to his car, making the headlights lit up in process. “I, uh... want to ask you a favour. Please.” He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

“I gathered that much.” He sat on the driver’s seat, starting the car up with Shindou jumping onto the shotgun and Akira on the back seat. “What is it?”

“It’s about Sai.” Shindou watched the road as they started moving, an unspoken trip towards the hospital to have another practice session against the man in the topic. At the mention of Sai’s name, Ogata’s interest was piqued. “Sai, you see... he has circumstances.” Continued Shindou, watching Akira’s sharp eyes using the rear-vision mirror as if asking for encouragement. “He doesn’t have any birth certificates, passport or any IDs at all.”

“Hence you need my help.” Ogata exhaled sharply, distaste clear in his face as he eased up on a red light.

“It’s kind of sensitive information so I can’t really tell you much. I know it sounds a bit shady, but...” He trailed off, reluctantly shifting his eyes to watch Ogata massaging his temple and took a deep breath, seemingly deep in thought. “You don’t have a good relationship with your parents, do you?”

The bespectacled male gazed at Akira long enough to see the apologetic look on his face before nodding lightly. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Shindou’s eyes brightened at the too-easy agreement and he almost jumped on his seat. “Really, Ogata?! You’d do it?!”

The man lifted a finger to stop Shindou from saying anything. “One condition.” He said before lips lifting to form a smirk and making Shindou thought ‘here we go’. “I get to come and play against Sai whenever I want and whenever he’s free.”

So pretty much Ogata asked for an unlimited entry to his house whenever he felt like it. Of course, it troubled Shindou, but he had to be at least grateful that he hadn’t asked for an in-depth explanation to this ‘circumstances’ that befell Sai, so with a sigh, he nodded. “Fine. But please get it done before the pro exam.”

Adjusting his glasses, Ogata smiled in satisfaction at the outcome. “Leave it to me.” Reconnecting with his parents was a small price to pay for games against Sai, after all.

.

The first day of pro exam and Gosei main tournament. Shindou and Akira emerged victorious in the preliminaries, the prior with two losses and the latter, one. Shindou’s losses were against Kurata 8-dan and Shirakawa 8-dan, whom he was unlucky enough to face out of the fifty or so other players. Akira faced defeat at the hands of Morishita 9-dan and oh god, the look on his face during his teaching session. Shindou regretted coming to that one, and he was convinced that Waya thought the same too.

Last week, Shindou received the matchup list in the mail and his poor heart thundered in his chest as he tore the envelope with a bit too much power that he ripped the corner of the paper inside. Thankfully, it wasn’t any major destruction. Looked like his first match was against Ashiwara 6-dan and judging from the relative strength of the other games going on, his next opponent would most likely be Kuwabara Honinbo and followed by Ichiryuu Kisei. Speaking of luck.

As for Akira, his first match would be against Zama Oza and Shindou pursed his lips, couldn’t help being a little pessimistic. After that, Akira would most likely face Kurata, and finally Morishita once more. Well, considering that he most likely had to play against two title holders, he knew full well that he could not spend even one second thinking about the possibility of losing.

Two title holders in his bracket. His heart thumped loudly as he made his way into the match area to face Ashiwara. It would be the first time after a year that he would finally play him once more and even though last year he managed to defeat him, it was an uncomfortably narrow victory of half a moku.

For the past three weeks or so, he had been practising nonstop with Sai, occasionally with Akira in the go salon and Ogata who had no shame as he would come over every two or three days, making his parents quite used to his icy presence. Shindou clearly tried to steer clear off playing Ogata, not because of his apparent distaste of him (that started to fade away, Sai noticed) but because they might have to face each other in the title match.

“You’ll do so well, Hikaru!” Sai beamed at him, _exactly_ like a doting father, Shindou noted. “Just remember everything I taught you, okay?” He continued, almost bouncing on the spot at the thought of his student being all grown up.

“Stop it! You’re so embarrassing.” Shindou whispered, cheeks completely red at the attention he garnered. “Anyways, if you finish your match early and want to watch mine, just come to the fifth floor, first door on your right. Waya and Isumi-san said that they’d probably be there too.”

“Mm!” Nodding furiously, Sai gave his student another bright smile. “Good luck, Hikaru!”

“Yeah, yeah. You too.” The boy scoffed at the fatherly affection directed at him before disappearing into the elevator. Sai decided to take the stairs that day to the match hall as he deemed it more relaxing than the shaky moving box. Opening the door at the end of the stairs, he saw the bright light and noticed that the area was already filled with people despite the fact that he came earlier than he would to the preliminary.

Once he stepped his foot in the hallway, everyone immediately stopped talking and glanced at him, but he decided to not let it bother him as he kept walking forward into the examination room, ogi fan clutched tightly on his right hand. He settled in a seiza in front of his appointed go-ban, deciding to spend his time alone with his thought.

Everyone started talking again, but this time about the man who just appeared before them and how he had lost two of his matches due to some sort of illness. They talked about his game as witnessed by others on the preliminary and how he had completely and thoroughly crushed any opponent without even a hint of regret. Some thought that it was cruel to bully the weaker like that and that he should have resorted to shidou-go instead, but the others justified his action by saying that he was only respecting his opponents by playing to the best of his ability. The match area seemed to be divided into two at their opinions, some resenting Sai for his strength, and some admiring him. However, all of them agreed to pity the poor thing who would face him on the first round as they suspected that Sai’s opponents would lose confidence in their skill that they would stoop into a losing streak.

“Aw, I would love it if I could play him in the first round.” Chimed a voice fuelled with envy that directed everyone’s eyes at the girl who said such strange statement.

“I know right?” Another one muttered, this time a male. “Losing against him in the first round was one of the best things to ever happened to me.”

Quickly, they were surrounded by people who wanted to know what they meant by such suicidal questions, to which the female simply answered:

“Yeah, you get crushed and all, but there’s just something about the way he annihilates you that’s so comforting,” Chigusa replied, placing her index finger on her chin thoughtfully, trying to think of the right way to express it.

“Fujiwara-san’s Go is very kind just as much as it’s intimidating. He’s as strong as everyone said that he is, even more, but you can’t help feeling like you’re a different, stronger person once he’s through with you.” Kawahiro nodded in agreement with Chigusa’s statement.

“Yeah! Besides, the way he goes all out on you just shows that he doesn’t underestimate you and I think it’s a comforting thought.” She squealed in delight at the thought of her match against him and how informative it had been. Although it wasn’t shidou-go but more of a one-sided decimation, she could clearly see where her weaknesses were.

Soon after, the first round of pro exam started, everyone taking seats in front of their designated go-ban and everyone was silent for a while until the buzzer rang and “please” echoed in the room.

.

“Hey!” Came a voice as soon as the door was opened roughly, revealing a teen with messy dark brown hair, “How’s the match coming along?” He settled near Isumi who was putting stones on the go-board, copying the match broadcasted on one of the small TVs. In the room, sat Ochi, Honda and Saeki, mostly looking at Akira’s match and idly glancing at the others every now and then, eyes lingering on the title holders’.

“It’s just getting started,” Isumi replied as he reconstructed Shindou’s game against Ashiwara. “Although the big match for the day is Touya versus Zama Oza, huh?”

“Who do you think will win?” Waya looked at the screen where they were still barely scratching the surface on move 12. The last time Akira played the title holder was during the beginner dan series, so it would be quite interesting if the younger player came out on top this time even though Waya, he had to admit, still harboured hints of distaste of Akira.

“It’s hard to say.” Answered Isumi shortly as he placed another stone on the board. “Hm?” He frowned when he saw the next move the boy made. “Shindou’s not doing a standard joseki.”

“You’re right.” Waya muttered as he played out the game that they thought might happen. “This doesn’t look good for Shindou, though. I wonder if he’s got anything planned.”

“Shindou’s not the type to make mistakes, so this is a curious play.” Isumi tilted his head sideways, unsure of what his friend was trying to do trying to develop a territory in both the centre and corner that didn’t seem to bear any fruit.

The match continued, the odd moves that Shindou played still loomed in the corner, not achieving anything that resulted in him being a little bit short on territory by the time midgame came around. Waya and Isumi continued placing stones on the board and playing some variations of the moves played by the two, wondering if there were any better ways of tackling them. When the game delved deeper into chuban, entered Sai.

“He’s still playing,” The man whispered in relief, taking one deep breath that showed that he ran all the way to the room. He remained standing there, eyes focused on the screen displaying Shindou’s game versus Ashiwara and Sai could tell that the boy was losing. He noticed the presence of the odd arrangement of stones on the upper left corner and a smile bloomed on his lips. “Brilliant, Hikaru. Brilliant.” Was all he said, nodding proudly.

“Uhm,” Isumi started, trying to get Sai’s attention. “F-Fujiwara-san?” At the mention of his name, everyone in the room turned around to look at the slender man clad in kimono standing in front of the door with a big smile.

“Oh, hello Isumi-sensei, Waya-sensei.” He greeted politely before nodding and noticed their puzzled expressions. “Hikaru is on the verge of a metamorphosis,” Sai observed the match, remembering the times they spent practising together every second they had free. Shindou had been trying to polish a new weapon, an elaborate trap that would require excellent reading skill, but if you miss even one move then you would be done for. In this case, those stones seemed to be a lost cause, but Sai was brimming with pride at his student’s courage to experiment with the move in an official match where the stakes were high. “He never ceases to impress me.” Sai sighed in satisfaction.

Unsure of what the man was trying to say, Isumi and Waya looked at each other in confusion but decided to continue watching the match.

Sai remained standing as the match unfolded before his eyes. He never once moved his gaze away from Shindou’s game, not even to view Akira’s. He wanted to know if Shindou would be able to recover after the four stones that he had essentially thrown away in the early game. Time continued ticking and no move had been made from Shindou’s side but even without being there, Sai knew that Shindou had yet to give up.

And then it came.

Ashiwara who had stretched his arm to answer Shindou’s hand suddenly backed off and paused.

“This...” Isumi placed the boy’s black stone on the board and saw just what he was planning to do with the odd moves in the beginning. It was messy and tattered, but he managed to connect with the stones he deemed to as mistakes, although not as gracefully as it should have been. “This is just like him.” He shook his head lightly at the trap. Shindou was known throughout the pro world as a true minefield full of ingenious and creative traps. One wrong step and you might just lose your life.

“It’s not as clean as he perhaps would’ve liked it, but he managed to catch up.” Sai smiled as the tide shifted and the game continued to yose.

The whole time, Waya had been sitting behind Sai, staring at the back of his idol but suddenly found that he was unable to say anything of value. He badly wanted to have a rematch against him, ask him about his training regime, his connection with Shindou, but all of them sounded intrusive considering how the man most likely didn’t even know him past his name and title.

Gathering all of his courage in a spur of bravery, Waya called out. “Fujiwara-san!” At the mention of his name, Sai turned his head. “I’m—” He suddenly lost the words he wanted to say when the man turned back to face him. “I’m, uh... Zelda.”

Sai smiled sweetly, eyes closed as he did so. “I know.”

“Oh,” Responded the brunette awkwardly, not expecting that answer at all. Now he felt absolutely dumb, not knowing how to follow up on Sai’s simple words. Isumi was still next to him and he chuckled at Waya’s inability to make conversation when all he ever talked about was Sai and how amazing he was.

“Waya is your biggest fan, Fujiwara-san.” The raven-haired professional crossed his arms on top of the desk, smiling. On the corner of his eyes, he could see Waya’s shoulders tensing in response.

“Is that so?” Sai’s eyes glimmered with happiness as he looked at the brunette. “I’m flattered, Waya-sensei!”

Stammering in embarrassment, Waya vowed to give Isumi a good slap on the back of the head after they were done. He cleared his throat to regain his composure and returned the smile. “Well, your Go is amazing. I can’t think why people wouldn’t be obsessed with you. Shindou is really lucky to have you as a teacher.”

“That is a very nice thing to say.” Sai answered humbly.

“Have you ever thought of making your own study session once you become a pro? Generally, only 9-dan make one, but with a skill like yours, I doubt you need to be that high up for people to be interested.” Waya asked in curiosity, hoping that he would be a part of the session too, even though Morishita-sensei would be outraged at the idea. In his defence, no one in their right mind would ever refuse a study session offer from _the_ Sai.

“Study session, huh...” The long-haired male trailed off, picturing himself teaching a few bright students at once, and the idea of it was enough to send his stomach aflutter. “Mm! That’d be nice!” He nodded in agreement and looked at Waya in excitement. “How do I go about setting up a study session, Waya-sensei?”

“Oh, Waya is fine. I don’t want to be called ‘sensei’ by someone of your skill level, Fujiwara-san.” He rubbed the back of his head nervously. “As for study sessions, you can choose to either charge your students to study or do it for free. Professionals usually handpick about 4-6 students at once, so you can choose anyone whose Go interests you.”

Sai could picture a few people that he would take as his students, but for now, he snapped out of it and turned around to watch how Shindou was going. It appeared that he was in time to see a few more moves on the board, Shindou managed to half Ashiwara’s biggest territory and winning by a comfortable amount. Isumi himself had been focused on the game and looked pensive, trying to figure out how Shindou would be able to pull off his new trap better. Not long after that, Ashiwara resigned.

Everyone’s eyes now focused on Akira vs the Oza match which progressed much slower than Shindou’s. They weren’t close to the start of the yose, both parties clearly wary of each other. Sai saw some of the Oza’s game records and could tell that his title wasn’t for show, as he had the skill to back it up. It was no doubt going to be a harsh game for Akira, but not an unwinnable one. Akira’s Go could be terrifying, and once he had the upper hand, he was relentless in his attack and wouldn’t let up until his opponent bent because Touya Akira didn’t make mistakes.

Sai observed the game to play out the match from the beginning, all in his head. He hummed in approval at the beautiful moves both players displayed, a smile never once leaving his lips. They had been dead even from the very beginning, only with half to 1.5 moku that would constantly shift between them, but the gap never widened more than that. The first to extend the lead would no doubt win, as they slowly approached yose. He could start to see that Akira and the Oza started to speed up the pace in which they place their stones, having already read each other’s moves that far ahead. The victory would be nail-bitingly close, only by the skin of their teeth. He knew that Akira understood that Shindou would be outraged if he lost against the Oza, and Sai believed that such rivalry was truly encouraging.

After all, without Shindou, Akira would be just another prodigy, alone in his path without anyone of his age to fuel the ember residing inside him. All he would have was everyone’s expectations of him, and a true challenge from the older professionals who he wouldn’t be able to relate to. From what he could see, Ogata had been a result of such sad journey: a masterful mind whose Go lacked warmth and colour. If Shindou hadn’t appeared when he did, Akira was bound to suffer the same fate.

The two players navigated themselves on the board, reducing each other’s territories, straggling for that extra points all while attempting to kill off any weak clusters, Sai sighed in delight upon seeing such intense match, played brilliantly by the two males. Even by the endgame, neither one gave each other space, the 0.5 moku still switching back and forth between the two. It was impossible to see who would win the engagement. However, only one could be victorious, and this time it was Akira’s turn to exact his revenge.

.

Although he might be perceived by others as cold and unapproachable, Ogata never really had trouble communicating with others to get what he wanted. In fact, he strongly believed that he had the skill to persuade people to do his bidding. His parents, however, were the only people in the world he refused to deal with unless he had to. He hadn’t been close with them when he was a kid and didn’t really stress about it. If anything, he was glad to be left alone rather than being unnecessarily lavished with attention.

He had always been disinterested by the prospect of letting someone be too close to him and that distant personality of his sometimes backfired on him, in particular with the ladies. However, such trivial matter never had a strong root inside of him. His only passion was Go and he never imagined himself doing anything that wasn’t the thousand years old board game, even in his free time. His parents had expressed distaste for his choice in career and when he insisted on it instead of being a lawyer like they wanted him to be, they passive-aggressively cut their ties, only coming back for each other when one had an ulterior motive, connections, in particular. And they were perfectly fine with it.

The people closest to him that he would consider friends would be Touya Kouyo and Touya Akira. However, the prior was his goal and the latter, a potential rival in the future. It hadn’t been anything more than that and would never be. Then, Shindou Hikaru appeared out of thin air. He was taken by the skill he displayed at merely 12 years of age, something that he believed to be monstrous and simply above and beyond Akira’s level. He never had the opportunity to observe one of his matches first hand, but he could tell what potential he had from the get-go, hence why he was brave enough to vouch for him as an insei. To him. Shindou would be another rival that he would have to watch.

And then Sai came in the picture, and Ogata had never felt so intimidated, fascinated and taken by someone before. His mild interest quickly elevated to obsession and he ignored all self-control when Sai was involved, hence why he didn’t have any problem invading Shindou’s personal bubble. Never in his life that he wanted to desperately meet someone and learn how they came to wield such dangerous dagger of elegance and skill. He thought that once he stood face-to-face with Sai, all the mystery surrounding them would crack and crumble, but he was wrong.

Sai was an enigma that couldn’t be deciphered by anyone but Shindou. The man himself was a lot more approachable than he initially thought, and much younger too. Ogata had always been a good judge of character and a masterful analyst but tried as he might, he couldn’t decode Sai. The man had something in him that he couldn’t quite put his fingers on. It truly fascinated him. So, when Shindou asked him to help Sai, he didn’t question him and haphazardly agreed to his request without thinking of any repercussions of such illegal act.

It had been more than a little troublesome to convince his mother to forge a birth certificate and his father to input Sai’s citizenship status into the government system, but he completed it as he promised Shindou so the boy could hand in the documentation in time to the Go Institution. He silently promised himself to ask Shindou about his relationship with Sai in the near future as a repayment.

.

NetGo went absolutely insane at the news that their idol, Sai, was participating in the pro exam. Some could scarcely believe that a man with such skill wasn’t a pro, to begin with, and most, just like everyone else Shindou had met, thought it extremely odd that he was much younger than they had imagined. If he didn’t know any better, he too would assume that Sai was that of Touya Kouyo’s age, stern, intimidating in nature and carried himself with an aura that people couldn’t help but respect.

In reality, Sai was just a Go nerd who always got unnecessarily excited over anything related to the said board game—childish curiosity, Shindou dubbed. He was a friendly, approachable and gentle individual whose personality masked by his dominant Go. It was as if he had two faces.

“I’m ready, Hikaru!” Sai skipped outside after he put his slippers on and trailed behind his student who had both of his hands stuffed inside his pocket.

“Did you bring your portable oxygen mask?” Shindou asked before they got too far, answered by a nod. It was a Sunday which meant that Sai didn’t have a match and neither did Shindou. Since it would be his match against the Honinbo tomorrow, he decided to kick back and relax for a few moments without stressing too much. It would just make him self-destruct under the pressure of having to play against a title holder. Instead, he opted to go to Haze senior high at Akari’s pleas. She wanted Shindou to come and hold a study session for the members in preparation for the coming Go championship, and he was quite happy to agree to her proposal.

Sai had been quite excited at the prospect of seeing how his student’s childhood friend was going. That and he was interested to see the level of the Go club. When they arrived at the location, they were pleasantly surprised to see that they weren’t sitting in a science room with only 4 members, but that they had a proper set-up in a history room where 8 people seemed to be busy with their games.

Hearing the door squeaked open, Akari lifted his head to see what caused the noise, and she beamed when she saw Hikaru standing there with a backpack slung over his shoulders. “Hikaru, you’re here!” She squealed in delight, making everyone else turned to face him too.

“Good afternoon, Shindou 3-dan.” A male quickly rose to his feet and approached him, giving him a small bow as a welcoming gesture. “Thank you so much for coming all the way here, and congratulations for winning against Ashiwara 6-dan!”

“Hey, thanks.” He smiled at the boy who he recognised as the captain of the Go club before he walked in. “Oh right, my friend is also here.” He stepped out of the way to allow Sai to walk in. “This is Fujiwara Sai and he’s taking the pro exam this summer.”

“Good afternoon.” The long-haired male bowed deeply. Sure enough, everyone stopped whatever they were doing and dropped the stones clenched on their fingers. “Oh, please don’t think that I’m intimidating!” He waved his hands about at the look he garnered, something that he was sadly getting quite used to.

“So not only do we have help from Shindou 3-dan, but also _the_ Sai?” The Go club captain blinked in pleasant surprise at the revelation and anticipation dawned on him at the thought of being taught by both men. “We might just beat Kaio this year after all!”

“Yeah, give them a good thrashing!” Shindou grinned as he settled his backpack on the corner of the room before walking to inspect the 4 Go boards on the desks to see where they were up to. It seemed like they were having a practice session, the first, second, third boards and the substitutes playing against each other. Through the unfinished game, he could see Akari winning the match on the first board. “You’ve gotten better again, Akari.”

“Ah, yeah, thanks to you, Hikaru!” She rubbed the back of her neck nervously with a tinge of red on her cheeks.

“Fujisaki-san is white?” Sai smiled at the arrangement of stones on the go-ban and hummed in approval. With a little bit of help, she would easily be qualified for Insei class, although a B rank. She was more or less on Shindou’s level when he left the Go club, and it was impressive, to say the least. “Hikaru, is Mitani-kun here too?”

“Mitani, huh? Yeah, he’s in Haze and he joined the tournament last year.” The boy with bleached bangs looked around.

“Mitani-kun won’t be able to join this year’s tournament. He’s busy with remedial classes...” She sighed in disappointment, especially at his inability to maintain his own grades.

“Oh well.” Shindou shrugged, half thankful that he didn’t have to worry too much about his grades anymore. He was pretty sure that he wouldn’t pass this year, anyways and would most likely quit to focus more on his career. “Alright, let’s get started!”

It was a relaxing moment for Shindou to play simultaneous games with the members of the Go club, and eventually against Sai with everyone watching them. He explained out loud the logic of his moves which was a good way for him to learn too, as there was something about physically speaking that allowed him to pick up ideas that were too farfetched or silly. They went through less commonly used joseki variations and harder tsumego for everyone to solve.

By the end of the session, he felt more ready than he ever had to face tomorrow’s match against Kuwabara Honinbo, something that he had been dreading for a while. Honestly, sometimes he thought that he had to worry more about the mental game rather than the board. Shindou didn't get intimidated easily, but the older man just had a knack for scaring people off.

When Monday rolled around, Shindou took a deep breath in front of the Instituteute, glancing at Sai before nodding firmly, answered by a gentle smile and a small reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. The 3-dan said nothing as he entered the elevator and watched it ascend to the third floor. Sai lingered on the ground floor for a few more seconds, silently wishing the best for his student before inhaling softly and readied himself for his own match.

The soon-to-be professional wished to watch Shindou’s game from the start to finish, but it would be impolite to skip his own match, so he silently apologised to the young man sitting on the opposite side of him for the speed go that he was about to play.

Sai was especially cruel that day and won the match by resignation within 30 minutes. This time, he could only offer his opponent, who was on the verge of a breakdown, a small smile before standing up to leave.

.

Shindou wished he’d brought earplugs to completely filter out the old man’s words. He tried to calm himself down using a subtle breathing exercise as he settled into a seiza in front of the Honinbo. This time around, he managed to not let him get into his head so much, unlike last year where his early game had been a mess thanks to him, resulting in a total loss. It was infuriating to lose not because of his lack of skill at the game, but due to his own mental weakness.

“I do hope you won’t make mistakes that will cost you the game,” Started Kuwabara.

“And same to you, Honinbo. It would be a shame if you lose against a 3-dan, after all.” Shindou smirked, refusing to let himself fall into the trap. If Akira exacted his revenge last time against the Oza, it was his turn now.

Exchanging ‘please’ signifying the start of the game, they began nice and slow. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred on the board as they tried to form a strong moyo for the mid-game. Occasionally, he would hear small chuckles coming from Kuwabara but Shindou steeled himself and kept going steadily with his moves. Whenever his heartbeat would pick up in pace, his left hand would glide to the fan on his side and squeezed it to calm himself down.

Shindou matched the Honinbo hand for hand, responding appropriately to his attempt at invasion while taking his time to think rationally about it. He had long stopped worrying about much time he spent on his hands in the early game, as it would be significantly harder to make up for mistakes made then, during late mid-game and yose. It seemed to bear fruit as slowly, the lead shifted in his favour, having managed to kill one of Kuwabara’s smaller groups in the lower left corner. Making sure that there was no way for those stones to come back alive, Shindou shifted his attention somewhere else.

 _“I could try to enclose the centre, or I could try to reduce that cluster to a killable shape.”_ The boy muttered, placing his index finger on his lips thoughtfully. _“I think I’m quite ahead on territory. Pressuring his group might be a better choice.”_ He straightened his back as he tried to decide where to go next. _“But that means I’m kind of giving away the chunk in the middle once I’m done with his cluster. Besides, this is the Honinbo I’m facing. There’s no way he won’t capitalise on me giving away the sente once I killed his stones.”_ Shindou nibbled on his nail unconsciously before biting his lower lip. It was the moment of make and break and he hoped that he made the right choice by choosing the reinforce his territory in the middle.

Kuwabara responded by strengthening the group that he noticed Shindou was targeting with a loud clack and he could see the frown forming on his forehead as the boy stopped him from crawling into his territory, which meant that he now had the sente.

 _“This isn’t good.”_ Shindou mumbled to himself, observing the board closely. He could feel something big was coming, something that was capable of turning his lead upside down and spiralling him into a loss. The boy braced himself when Kuwabara played a stone. It looked almost exactly the same as what Sai played in the hospital a few weeks ago.

It was something he hadn’t had time to solve, and Shindou knew he was in for a rough time.

 _“He doesn’t have many weaknesses... and there’s no way I won’t respond to that hand.”_ The 3-dan bit his fingernail once more as his eyes scanned the board for any possible move he might be able to pull of. There were a lot of ‘okay’ moves that would make him be able to somewhat reduce the effectiveness of the move that the Honinbo just played, but nothing that would help him terribly in the endgame. _“If I play 16-5, he’d just play a hane and he’d be connected. Gote won’t be enough.”_ Shindou closed his eyes as he visualised the board in his head. _“I have to answer his sente with a sente and stop him from connecting. Where is it... where’s the opening?”_

Shindou wasn’t sure how much time he burned from the thinking that he was doing. After all, if he failed to thwart Kuwabara’s latest stone, the game might as well be over for him. He continued running over iterations after iterations in his head, calculating how many territories he’d gain from each variation, but none seemed to be enough for him to catch up. He looked at the board once more, the white stone seemed to mock him as he stared at it.

 _“Sai is watching me, and he probably knows where to play.”_ Shindou thought. _“If it was Sai, he’d just flip his fan open and play on that one specific spot with confidence.”_ He gritted his teeth in frustration at his inability to see the go-ban the way Sai could. _“Think, Hikaru, think. There is a way. I know there is.”_ Shindou encouraged himself further as he fiddled with the stones inside the go-ke. _“I don’t want to lose. I want to play Touya and Ogata. I want to show Sai that I’ve improved leaps and bounds. I want to make him proud.”_ Shindou whispered in his head as he took a deep breath to regain his concentration.

Finally calmed down, Shindou realised that he already spent fifteen minutes on his seat, but it didn’t faze him. He opened his eyes wide, once again scanning the board until he found _the_ move. He heard Kuwabara saying something to him, but his ears were closed as his concentration was sky high.

Relief and pride washed over him as one grid on the board seemed to shine at him. When he played his move that made the Honinbo stopped talking, he knew that Sai was smiling at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Under the stones:** a play in a space which has become free because some of your own stones have been captured
> 
> I, too, want to be in Sai's study group *sighs dreamily*
> 
> Thanks for your amazing support, guys! <3 Please do leave comments/kudos.


	7. Empty Triangle

For the past few weeks, Sai used his portable oxygen mask at least three times, but he didn’t tell Shindou even once in fear that he might worry the boy. One of his episodes would just come in the middle of nowhere and unfortunately, during the pro match as well a few days ago. When he felt his breathing started to hitch, he immediately retrieved the mask from inside his deep kimono pocket and sighed in relief when oxygen entered his lungs. Needless to say, his opponent had been a little bit puzzled and concerned, asking him if he was alright. Sai felt a little bad for distracting the man who was giving it his all, but he couldn’t control when and where his lungs would fail him again.

He also visited the hospital twice already, updating the doctor on his situation. Sai claimed that he was fine and healthy, unable to bring himself to tell the truth with Shindou next to him. He had more pressing issues to think about at the moment, namely the Gosei title matches. It truly charmed Sai, watching such high calibre games with his own two eyes through a camera. Two days ago, he had the honour of watching Shindou’s stunning game against Kuwabara Honinbou and even now, he found himself unable to stop analysing it with the boy. They went through move by move and ran through all the possible variations that might change the situation for black and white, finding little details that Shindou missed.

Shindou took the time to dissect Ichiryuu Meijin-Kisei’s kifu collection before his match with the title holder in only a few days’ time. Akira had always been his go-to discussion buddy, but arguing his point with him got a little tedious sometimes. With Sai, they could always have a friendly, no-screaming analysis due to the older male’s calm and excitable nature.

Meanwhile, Ogata had been considerate enough as to not visit him during the main tournament practice of the Gosei title matches in order to play against Sai. The man seemed like he was doing well enough in his Meijin and Tengen games, last Shindou checked, having beaten Shirakawa 8-dan yesterday. He had a feeling that after his match against Zama Oza coming up soon, he might come over and discuss the game with Sai.

Sai himself had been cruising his pro exams with 8 straight wins by resignation and have made a name for himself worthy of the internet legend _sai_. There was a whole lot news article published about his reign online and in Go Weekly. People cheered for his overdue arrival and most tried to guess who his challenger for the shin-shodan series would be. After Ichiryuu’s Kisei Meijin’s apparent slump, people were quick to write him off. They speculated that it would either be Zama Oza or Ogata Judan Gosei, with minority voting for Kuwabara Honinbo. Most were against it, as they argued that Sai wasn’t the type of player who would be fazed by his taunts. Some wondered if it was possible for an Honorary Meijin such as Touya Kouyo to participate, and that it would be an amazing match to watch if it was, despite the nuisance that was reverse komi.

Shindou exhaled as he cleaned up the go-ban in his room, scooping the black stones using both of his hands and pouring them into the go-ke before he stretched his back, arms up in the air with a loud groan. They had been sitting in the room for the past five hours, neglecting dinner in favour of studying Ichiryuu’s recent games. His parents seemed to be over trying to get Shindou to eat together with them after a while, knowing full well the importance of his match tomorrow and how the only person who would be able to rip him away from the Go-ban had been with him the whole time in front of the board.

“You seem troubled, Hikaru.” Sai blinked as he put the lid on the Go-ke and placed it neatly on top of the 19x19 board.

“It feels so surreal that I won against a title holder.” He scratched the back of his head and crossed his legs, recalling how he had won by the skin of his teeth against the Honinbo. “I mean sure, that old man’s not on the top of his game anymore, but I won against the Honinbo, Sai!”

Seeing the kind of disbelief on his student’s usually confident feature, Sai found himself giggling. “You do know that one victory doesn’t equate to much, right? Even the strong misreads sometimes, a mistake that can cost the game.”

“I know that!” Shindou curled his lips. That Kuwabara had most likely underestimated his skills and rightfully so. After all, judging from his previous oteai matches, it seemed unlikely that he would stand a chance against a title holder, despite constantly growing. It was only thanks to Sai that he was able to overcome his limits and he felt a little bad for relying on the man like that.

Sai smiled at his student’s sulky expression and continued, “I think you have a good chance of winning tomorrow too, Hikaru, even if Ichiryuu-sensei plays his best.”

“I just gotta bring my A-game.” The boy sighed before he got up to his feet and closed his bedroom windows. It wasn’t a false information that Ichiryuu Kisei had been in a slump. It showed through his recent games and at this rate, his titles were at risk until he could regain his focus. Shindou flicked through the Go weekly magazine in his hand to check out how the other tournaments were going as well as everyone’s performances on the Pro exam. Besides Sai, there were three other people with a flawless 8-0 record. “You’re enjoying your games, Sai?” He asked idly.

“Yes!” Sai hopped up to sit beside his student. “I can tell that some of these players will be great players in the future. Chigusa and Kawahiro are doing very well for themselves too with only 1 loss.”

“Hmm...” He hummed in response, flicking to the next page that covered Akira’s match against the Oza, and a small article about Waya’s recent overwhelming victory in his oteai match.

Seeing Shindou’s friend’s name on the page, Sai thought back of the conversation he had a few days ago during Shindou’s match against Ashiwara. “Waya suggested that I start my own study group.”

At that, Shindou’s interest was successfully piqued and he turned to look at Sai, heartbeat suddenly raising. “What? Study group? Don’t you have to be a 9-dan?” He frowned, disapproval clear in his voice. “Who are you interested in anyway?”

“Waya mentioned that I can start one as soon as I become professional.” Replied the man, not catching Shindou’s bitter tone. “Besides, don’t you think that it would be good for you too if you can have more Go players around you to practice with, instead of just me and Touya?”

“I’m not really interested in practising with anyone else, though!” Shindou justified, voice defensive as if Sai just accused him of a crime he didn’t do. “Why are you suddenly interested in study sessions anyways? I thought you just want to play games against strong players.”

Sai was a little taken aback by the frustrated tone Shindou used and wondered if he had said anything to offend him. Not wanting to escalate a misunderstanding, Sai decided to question him. “You don’t want me to do it, Hikaru?” He asked dejectedly. It would be a shame to miss out on an opportunity to teach bright students, but if Shindou was against it, then he would think twice. After all, he must have a good reason, right?

Shindou was rendered speechless at the question because damn, no matter what response he came up with, he sounded petty. Unlike before, Sai was now able to interact with everyone around him and he was bound to develop an interest in having more students, as he had always loved teaching. In the corner of his selfish mind, however, Shindou always thought that he alone would be enough to sate his thirst for teaching. He cursed himself for being so possessive.

“It’s… up to you, I guess.” He retorted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Sai was still sceptical at Shindou’s hesitant reply, knowing full well that there was something that bothered him but decided to not pry as he knew what his student was like. If he didn’t want to talk about something, then he wouldn’t. Sai couldn’t do anything but wait.

“Who do you have in mind?” The boy mumbled softly as he lied down on his bed, hands on the back of his head and one leg crossed over the other. “Touya?”

“Isn’t Touya already attending his father’s study session?” Sai asked. After all, it would be a little rude, trying to snatch someone who is already under another professional’s wings wouldn’t it?

“Touya-sensei goes to Korea and China a lot to participate in some tournaments lately. The sessions aren’t held regularly anymore, so I think he’s looking for another professional to study under. I don’t think he’s interested in too many 9-dan’s, though, so unless Ogata suddenly decides to make his own study group, I doubt he’s going anywhere anytime soon.” Shindou answered as he tried to shrug off his own selfishness and feign it with a mild disinterest.

“I see.” Sai nodded in understanding. “Well, if I can choose, I suppose I would take you and Touya.” Stating his first preferences, his mind wandered to other potential players that he would like the honour of teaching too. “Perhaps Waya, and Ogata-sensei as well.”

From the games he played online with _zelda,_ Sai could see a glimmer of untapped potential, something that was faint, but certainly there. It would be quite the challenge to draw it out of him one hundred percent, but Sai was never the type of person to shy away in the face of a rewarding challenge. The boy reminded him of how Shindou would probably be had he not been there with him, and Sai found himself wanting to do everything in his power to help him.

As for Ogata, it would be yet another fruitful obstacle to overcome—the man’s Go was rock solid with excellent insight behind every move. From what Sai had seen, he was quick to learn other player’s style, allowing him to adjust his attacks and defences accordingly while seeing the board the way his opponents do. Ogata played a very stoic and stiff Go that relied on logic alone. It would be extremely difficult for Sai to try to encourage him to be more creative in his moves but thinking about what the result would be was more than enough to bring a smile to Sai’s lips.

“Waya, huh?” Shindou snorted at the mention of his brunette friend, imagining how outraged Morishita would be if Sai stole not only him but also Waya. At that point, his rival would not be Touya-sensei anymore, but Sai. He could just imagine him screaming at the rest of his students to give Sai’s group a thrashing or two. “Me, Touya, Waya and Ogata, huh? We’ll be a handful, you know?”

“It’ll be fun!” Sai bounced on his futon, cheeks turning pink in anticipation. “I can’t wait to be a pro!”

Shindou sighed at the childish excitement displayed by the thousand years old man in the room with him. The knot in his stomach at the thought of Sai teaching someone else other than him remained as he closed his eyes to sleep.

.

Akira could scarcely believe just how much Shindou had grown in such short amount of time. His game against Kuwabara Honinbo that he discussed with his father was unlike the game that Akira thought would be Shindou’s best game for a while, which was against Ko Yeong Ha. The Honinbo hadn’t exactly been too easy on him, in fact, it was an excellent fight that he put up, to be able to spring up a move like the one he did shortly before he resigned. He had to admit, he was taken aback when he saw that Shindou could see the one move that would give him a fighting chance—even his father had explicitly expressed his awe.

Without a doubt, it was Sai’s doing as much as it was Shindou’s. The boy had the raw talent and Go sense to be able to succeed by himself, given time. However, a potential was like metal. In the hands of the right blacksmith, it would become a beautifully crafted weapon, and in the hands of the correct wielder, it would be capable of bringing justice or destruction. Shindou’s raw talent was hammered and welded by Sai’s handiwork, then presented it back to the owner for the whole world to see.

Akira didn’t know what else to think. If at the beginning he had thought Sai’s Go skills truly mesmerising, now he was purely stunned by his astounding teaching capability. In the few days he had the honour of being taught by the master himself, he felt himself slowly changing and improving as a player. He could only imagine what Shindou learn on a daily basis, after years of being together with the man. What wouldn’t he give to be in his rival’s shoes.

He found himself being overwhelmed in the face of the intimidating combined strength. For a split second, he wondered if he would be able to win his next match against Shindou, and he knew everyone else would feel the same too if they analysed his latest game. However, he refused to lose his footing. No matter what would happen, he promised himself that he wouldn’t lose, and he wasn’t about to go back on his words.

That day, he had a challenging hurdle to overcome, and so did Shindou. He was about to come face to face against the only man who defeated him in the preliminaries, Morishita 9-dan, the man who was the closest to being his father’s rival years ago before he was completely outdone. It pained him to think that if he wasn’t able to close the growing gap between him and Shindou, he would be in the same situation later on. However, he decided that it was best to not let such thought bother him during the match. So, as he bowed down to his opponent to begin the game, he steeled himself.

Shindou was sitting not far from him, as one of the remaining four candidates to be eligible to fight for the Gosei title next week against Ogata in a best of five of match. The memories of Ichiryuu’s games were fresh in his mind as he made his move with his playstyle in mind. Even though everything looked fine for now, he knew that it wouldn’t be once they shift into mid-game. Although not by much, Ichiryuu had the upper hand wa ith better framework and it worried him. From what he had seen, the lead established by the title holder usually persisted until the end of the match. If he couldn’t catch up by chuban, he might as well give up hope of facing Akira.

 _“Invasion over there?”_ Akira thought to himself as he saw his opponent playing a move he wasn’t expecting. He scanned the board, trying to think of what kind of scheme Morishita had by prematurely invading his territory. There didn’t seem to be any game-changing aji based on the moves he visualised in his head. _“Was it just a mistake or is it a trap?”_ His eyes moved from grid to grid as Morishita’s smile widened. _“It might be that he’s trying to…”_ Akira gulped at the realisation. He quickly grabbed a stone from the bowl and placed it on the board with a loud clack.

More people began to gather in the match viewing area as they started to carry more go-board from one room to the other in order to recreate the game themselves too. Sai had finished early again this time too, and he still felt kind of bad for playing a hayago against an opponent who didn’t seem to take it very well. However, he badly wanted to see the two matchups that day and he was glad that he did. Akira seemed to see through Morishita’s cunning plan by the way he responded to his stone. The boy certainly had shown improvement.

Although the game between Akira and Morishita was going well, it wasn’t for Shindou. He could see him being pressured immensely, and each move the boy made seemed to be a little more ineffective by the second. Ichiryuu clearly had regained some sense back judging from the way he was playing. It would be entirely up to Shindou to catch up.

Time ticked on. Sound of stones making contact with the wooden board were becoming increasingly deafening.

Shindou bit his lower lip at the state of his current board. There was no way he would be able to recover it in time. He might make a fight or two to maintain his territory, but it didn’t seem like Ichiryuu was going to let him breathe life into his dead stones. He clenched his eyes shut as his fingers rattled the stone inside the bowl, thinking about his next move. Right now, he needed a miracle.

 _“Touya...”_ He mumbled under his breath as he scanned the board. He was running out of time. _“Sai... I can’t see it.”_ Shindou held his breath, cursing his own lack of skill. If it was Sai, he would look over his shoulder and say that it was still winnable, but he wasn’t Sai. He was just Shindou Hikaru. _“I still have so much to learn.”_ Deciding to dissect the game in full later on, Shindou placed a stone on the board. If his reading ability didn’t fail him, Ichiryuu would play the aji he set up for himself earlier in the game, in which case he would resign.

Clutching the fabric of his pants tightly, he inhaled softly and almost gasped at the next move that his opponent made. It was a mistake, and judging from the way Ichiryuu’s eyes widened, he knew it too.

Shindou didn’t have time to feel bad for the man as he capitalised on the useless stone on the board. A few more exchange and he was suddenly able to kill Ichiryuu’s stones and revive his own. They played the game out to the very end. The mistake was fatal, but it wasn’t the end of the world. Shindou found a lead of his own, and he was determined to not let it go. A few more stones were exchanged, sacrifices were made, and the board fluctuated. Right now, it was anyone’s game.

Shindou regained full concentration as he relentlessly attacked Ichiryuu’s stones, crippling them and gaining the sente for most of the yose. If in the beginning he wasn’t given the chance to be on the offensive, now he reigned until the very end.

The boy took a second to take a deep breath before bowing to say his thanks for the match, not missing the dark look of disappointment in Ichiryuu’s eyes, and he couldn’t blame him. If he made a mistake as crucial as the one he did and let victory slip out of his grasp, he would be beating himself too. Nevertheless, the players were only human and they were prone to mental instabilities, and in that regard, Shindou had the upper hand.

 _“Touya!”_ He immediately straightened his back and turned to look at how the match was going just in time to see them counting their territories. He crawled towards the board and sat back on a seiza, counting along with the two. The game was awfully close and Shindou felt cold sweat started to overtake him as he realised that there was only 0.5 moku difference in black’s favour. _“Who is it? Who’s black?”_ His eyes darted towards his rival and immediately, his stomach dropped.

Akira had _the_ look on his eyes; the one and only. Others might not be able to see it as Touya never wore his heart on his sleeve, but for Shindou, it was as clear as day that he lost the fight. His final opponent wasn’t Touya and he felt his heart cracking.

He had faith in him. Shindou believed that Touya would win, without a doubt. After all, it was a promise that they made—they would win whatever matches they have, no matter what tournaments, until they face each other in an official match. He gritted his teeth as he abruptly come to a stand and walked off.

Shindou took the elevator down to the ground level, bag slung on his back as he walked outside the Institute and towards the parking lot only to lean against the wall and taking a large breath in an attempt to calm down. He crouched and hugged his knees, thinking that he wasn’t any better himself. Morishita most likely played his best, unlike Ichiryuu who seemed to be a little volatile still, especially after the mistake that costed him the game. Shindou only won by sheer luck.

Taking another large gulp of air, Shindou jerked to a stand, suddenly face to face with Ogata who had a car key in his hand.

“Congratulations for making it to the semi-final, Shindou.” The man said dryly, as if not expecting anything less. “It’s a shame that Akira won’t be joining us. I was looking forward to see you two playing each other.”

The boy with bleached bangs only nodded as a response before stuffing both of his hands into his pocket and glaring at the man standing in front of him. “I’m going to beat your arrogant ass.”

At that, Ogata couldn’t help a small chuckle from escaping his throat as he clicked the button on his key to unlock his car, silently accepting the challenge. He would be more than happy to see what Sai had done to the boy in a span of a month and a half. Ogata was certain that Shindou would win his next match against Morishita—he was actually quite surprised that Akira didn’t manage to defeat him considering the quality of his games as of late. It almost seemed like he was distracted. Although he wanted to find out what the root of the problem was, he decided that it wasn’t any of his business.

“There you are, Hikaru!” Sai approached him from around the corner at the sight of his student. “Good afternoon, Ogata-sensei.”

“And to you, Fujiwara-san.” He nodded as he withdrew a cigarette stick and slipped it between his lips. “Are you looking forward to your beginner-dan series?” Flipping open a lighter, he asked as if Sai’s victory had been set in stone which to be honest, it had.

Sai’s eyes lit up with excitement at the memory of playing Touya Kouyo when he was Shindou’s resident ghost despite the reverse komi that put the man at a disadvantage. He wished he could somehow nullify such rule. Nodding furiously, he placed his palms against each other. “Certainly! Who will my opponent be?”

At the expected answer, Ogata chuckled. “It can be anyone.” His eyes darted towards Shindou who had been standing in silence, still thinking about the match between Akira and Morishita. _“It may even be someone much closer to you.”_ He thought as he let smoke escaped from his mouth. It would mean that Shindou would have to win against him in best of five match, and he wasn’t about to go easy on the boy despite wanting to focus on his Meijin title matches. Under normal circumstances, he would laugh and deem it impossible but now that Sai was right here, ready to assist his student in any way he could, Ogata could somewhat see that a gruesome fight waiting for him, and he was ready to take the challenge. “To be honest, Fujiwara-san, everyone will be fighting for the chance to be your opponent.”

“Oh, I wish I could play all of them!” Sai sighed wistfully, thankful for the body that he was given.

“You will if you keep walking this path.” Ogata inhaled deeply on the cigarette, entertained by Sai’s childlike excitement. It was refreshing to see such pure, unfiltered love for the game and Ogata was glad that such talent fell into the hands of Sai who was not afraid to share his knowledge. “And you might be able to play other overseas professionals too.”

“Overseas, huh?” Shindou hummed, remembering the time he played against Hon Su Yong. “That’s right. Why don’t we go to the Go salon I played Su Yong last time? If we’re lucky, we’ll find some awesome players there.”

“You want Sai to crush international players already? I never pegged you for a sadist, Shindou.” Ogata chuckled darkly. At the glare that he received, the man shrugged, not letting the smirk from leaving his lips even once. “Mind if I tag along?”

Shindou wanted to tell the creepy old man to buzz off, but sadly, he owed him for the huge favour he did. So, he couldn’t do anything but scoff and turned to walk ahead of the two, silently gesturing for them to follow him. As he walked past the entry to the Institution, the glass door opened to reveal no other than Touya Akira, who immediately looked away bitterly at the sight of his rival.

Time ticked slowly as Shindou stopped in his track for a split second, then resumed his path. Sai noticed the dark look on Akira’s face and he could hardly blame the boy for it. Akira played a magnificent game for the first half, taking the lead for himself and Sai thought his victory was certain until he fumbled at one of Morishita’s trap and self-destructed. It was a play untrue to his style—calm and collected. Sai knew something was bothering Akira to the point where it affected his Go and if he hadn’t watched the kid for years through Shindou’s eyes, he would have missed the fact that Akira was intimidated.

The blame for the boy’s loss fell to Sai, he realised that much. Ever since he returned, the rate of Shindou’s growth had most likely improved leaps and bounds to the point where Akira felt a little self-conscious. If he didn’t learn to weather the storm, Akira would crumble under the pressure. Sai clenched his eyes shut, wanting to give the boy a helping hand, but he was unsure as to how he would take it.

“Leave him, Fujiwara-san.” Ogata muttered softly, taking one more large huff of his cigarette before stubbing it against the nearest wall and stepped on it with his shoes. “He won’t break that easily.” And Ogata could vouch for it. Although Shindou and Akira had been joined on the hips lately, he had been with Akira ever since he was a baby and even though he looked frail, Akira was much stronger than most adults he knew. Whatever was going on inside his head, Ogata believed that Akira would learn to get over it and once again develop into a fearsome player he was destined to be.

Sai nodded weakly, trusting Ogata’s instinct. Giving the boy one more heartfelt glance, he turned to follow Shindou.

“Touya’s match. What did it look like?” Shindou started after a brief period of silence.

“He fell apart towards the end.” Ogata replied before Sai could, tinge of disappointment was clear in his voice. “I might even say he tried too hard to win that he lost focus.”

“It’s my fault.” With clenched fists, Sai added bitterly, making Shindou turn his head to look at the man questioningly. “It’s because ever since I returned, you have improved significantly, Hikaru. I think Touya feels like you will leave him behind.”

At the response, Ogata shrugged. “I suppose it _is_ a little unfair that you get Fujiwara-san all to yourself, Shindou.” After those discussing his practice game with Sai once, he immediately knew what great teaching ability the man had and what weapon he could create out of his students. “If you are planning to start your own study session, I would love to be a part of it.”

“Really?” Sai was pretty much oozing happiness at that point. “That would be amazing, Ogata-sensei! And then, I’ll also teach Touya so he won’t feel left behind anymore. What a great idea!”

Hearing the enthusiasm, Ogata decided to talk more about what it was like to study under Touya Kouyo and the stiff environment. The ex-Meijin had been kind, but there had always been some sort of unspoken rivalry between the students which wasn’t all that bad. The talk continued even after they arrived at their destination and Sai’s attention never once swayed. It was only until they found themselves some opponents that they were quiet.

.

Akira felt sick.

When he realised he lost against Morishita not because of his lack of skill, but lack of mental strength, he wanted to do everything in his power to avoid meeting Shindou. Unlike him, the boy had won his match against a second title holder, Ichiryuu, that only served to deflate his pride. He himself wasn’t sure if he would be able to face Kuwabara Honinbo and Ichiryuu Meijin in a span of three days and win both matches.

He had been looking forward to playing Shindou in the semi-final, to fulfil the promise that they will fight their way up the ladder, no matter what tournament it was, until they got to play each other. Akira couldn’t blame his rival. After all, if the result was reversed, he would be severely disappointed too.

A sigh escaped from his father’s lips as he crossed his arms, eyes shifting from the go-ban and towards Akira. “I’m sure you know where the fault in this game lies.”  Touya knew the reason why his son would come to discuss his games almost every day. In the race that was their skill, Akira was slowly being overtaken by Shindou due to the return of Sai, and Akira somehow thought that he had no right to intrude the two. As a father, he was glad to be spending time with his son, but deep in his heart he knew that Akira longed for Sai to be the one teaching him and he really couldn’t blame him. Even at his age and status, he would not refuse to play a practice match against the internet legend. Sai had been the catalyst of his changing Go and never before he felt so free.

Akira didn’t want to lose, but he felt as if his fire had been doused. Not only did Shindou managed to catch up with him, who had played Go for as long as he could remember, but now he threatened to surpass him. It was frustrating to be outdone at something that he excelled in. Why did Sai appear before Shindou and not him? What was it that he lacked? Where would he be had Sai been the one to shape him?

Touya found it a little upsetting to watch his son like that, so he spoke. “The moment you start chasing after his back is when you know you have lost.” Said the ex-Meijin.

Akira nodded in understanding at the point that his father was trying to make, and he lifted his face. He was right, once he started to put someone in a pedestal then he would have no hope of getting the better of them. If he wanted to keep up with the Shindou who once more had Sai’s support, he would have to play against him to find out the extent of his skill now. And when he had the chance, he had to politely request Sai to share some of his knowledge too, or his resolve would be left unrealised.

It was a tall order, he understood that much. Akira swallowed thickly when the game between Morishita and Shindou started. Everyone in the room fell silent when the first stone was placed on the board. Sitting next to him was Ogata who wanted to know firsthand what his potential opponent was capable of, but through the seemingly calm façade that he displayed, Akira grasped the fact that Ogata knew who was going to triumph that day. Shindou was on his peak, ready to bring out his A-game through the confidence in which he handled the stones.

Sai joined them halfway through the game and said nothing as he took a seat next to Ogata who immediately leaned forward, uncrossed his legs and cleared the board to replay the hands for Sai. When the long-haired male nodded thoughtfully, a smile blooming on his lips, Akira understood that Shindou was playing his best game.

Shindou’s black relentlessly attacked and reduced white’s territory. The boy was playing an aggressive game to continuously hold the sente, taking advantage of all the beautiful aji he set up for himself across the board with Morishita’s playstyle clear in his mind. There was no doubt in each of his hand as he gradually stretched the gap between them. Ogata and Akira could almost see Sai behind Shindou, directing where the stone had to be played and Akira wondered if that was how the two had been like before, and if he would ever have Sai’s silhouette with him too if he learned under the man himself.

When the room buzzed with surprise at Morishita’s resignation, only three stayed quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Empty triangle:** most people like to say that the empty triangle is bad, being inefficient and prone to shortage of liberties
> 
> Another chapter up! I doubt that I'll be making this a crazy long story. I will probably wrap it up in another 3-5 chapters.
> 
> Thank you for leaving comments and kudos <3 !


	8. Corner Enclosure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do not look at the drawing at the end of the chapter before finishing it! :)

“This is the intense bit!” Sai flailed his long-sleeved kimono, making everyone else wonder how he hadn’t swiped the entire go-ban in front of him and make the stones fall on the floor. “See, you said you’d play here, right, Satoru?” Sai played a hane next to a white stone excitedly and added a few more moves before everyone noticed that it didn’t work as intended. “Hikaru saw this and went for the shoulder hit instead! That way he can cut between Morishita-sensei’s stones and not let his group gets locked down here.”

“But what if Morishita-sensei capitalised on this aji as a result? Wouldn’t that be bad for Shindou-sensei?” Chigusa curled her lips, unable to see why the older man didn’t play over there.

“Good question, Chigusa.” Sai puffed, pushed his chest out and cleared his throat before going for another stone. “This move Hikaru made looks like gote, but it’s actually sente. If Morishita-sensei didn’t respond, black will simply connect to this group. In short, Hikaru will sacrifice 5 points in exchange of 12, and potentially a lot more.”

“That’s…” One of the boys in the room scratched his head. “That’s some crazy reading skill. I don’t think I would’ve been able to see it. It’s kinda of scary, actually.”

“Fujiwara-san, can you tell me why Shindou-sensei decided to play this instead of putting pressure on these stones?” Another one amongst the crowd spoke up as he pointed towards one of the many stones on the board

“Yes, let’s see!” Sai removed a few moves from the board and created a new variation to demonstrate his thought. “I’m almost certain that Hikaru saw that this move would give him one less moku and most importantly, this iteration won’t allow him to get this aji going.” The male explained, clacking of stones echoed inside the room that was soon filled with ‘oohs’ of understanding.

“So, you really taught Shindou how to play, Fujiwara-san?” Fuku asked curiously, slightly jealous but at the same time understanding the true source behind Shindou’s overwhelming growth. He had to admit that initially he made Sai up to be some menacing old man who would brood in the corner instead of communicating with his fellow exam competitors. However, seeing how everyone seemed to be rather fond of the man and delighted in the time he took to come in early the day after Shindou’s matches to discuss the game, Fuku realised how gravely mistaken he had been.

More and more people would approach Sai without any fear in their eyes, even after they were slaughtered by a large margin to ask for a post-game discussion before the exams start, on a first come first served basis. It was almost they were holding their own private teaching session, and everyone had been elated at the prospect of learning from the grandmaster himself. To not be at disadvantage, even those who envied Sai’s strength attended the mini-class every morning too, begrudgingly admitting that he was an astounding teacher.

“Yes!” Sai bobbed his head up and down in a fatherly pride. “He’s such a brilliant student.”

“Well, Fujiwara-san, I’m looking for our match later.” Chigusa shot him a large smile of anticipation of learning something more from the man she came to respect. “I’ll show you what I’ve learned!”

Sai pumped his fists, almost jumping up and down on the seat. “I’m looking forward to it!”

Shinoda walked past the increasingly larger group inside the break room with a smile at the thought that everyone there was improving. Seemed like competition would be tougher and tougher as they go along with the pro exam. It was an unwritten cumulative opinion that Sai would no doubt win 25-0, seeing as how he managed to hold 18 winning streaks as of now. He managed to sneak a peek at the games he played, all of them displayed his extensive knowledge with elegance and most importantly, his kind ruthlessness.

As he sat in the corner once more to observe the exam, he found himself smiling at the sight of Sai’s undivided attention to the board and his opponent’s apparent frustration at being overwhelmed. However, he knew that by the end of it, his challengers always leave with a face full of satisfaction as if they were the ones who won. It was almost a miracle to be able to witness such strength in his lifetime. Sai was going to shake the Go world, he just knew it.

“I resign.” Chigusa bowed her head deeply after witnessing the domination on the board. There was nowhere left for her to play.             She initially thought that she had caught up to him a little from last time. After all, she practiced day and night in preparation for this day, but it was almost like the gap between them were becoming bigger instead of narrower. Sai, too, was learning, and it was a notion that sent shiver down her spine. Sai wasn’t done evolving yet, and it frightened her as much as it awed her. It was as if Honinbo Shusaku was reborn and given another chance at perfecting his craft. Would there be anyone left who would provide Sai with a decent challenge by the time he’s done?

She noted the positions of her stones that Sai silently pointed out with his fan in a quiet gesture of telling her that she could’ve played somewhere else. Since the matches are still going, they didn’t have the luxury of chatting, so that was already plenty for her.

“You did so good, Chigusa.” He whispered with flowery smile gracing his lips and the female found herself blushing slightly at the heartfelt compliment. They both got up at the same time and started heading for the elevator before Chigusa stopped in her track.

“Fujiwara-san, I have a question, if you don’t mind.” She fidgeted and at the questioning look she received, she continued. “Are you scared that in the end you will have no one else to fight?”

Sai didn’t even think about his answer or hesitated as he blinked and replied, “Not at all.” After all, there were still leashed monsters right in front of him: Shindou, the boy with unlimited potential whose improvement showed no sign of slowing down. Akira, the one who would stop at no end to keep up with Shindou, and although currently overpowered by the wind, his fire burned strong. Ogata, a player who walked alone without a rival in his generation, a man who is still surrounded with unopened doors of possibilities. And of course, Touya. Sai heard that his Go went through a metamorphosis ever since his retirement, and if the man could still get better, he would be the closest to Sai’s level, and a man to fear. Aside from those four, Sai could still name a couple more who still had plenty of untapped potential in them: Waya and Isumi.

Things were looking up in the Go world, and he couldn’t wait to see them on top of it. Sai felt that it was his duty to unleash the monsters concealed within them.

“Not at all.” Sai repeated once more, shaking his head lightly while smiling at the distance, and walked ahead.

As much as he would love to enjoy mulling over what he should do once he started teaching them, he had more pressing matter in his hands.

A few sleepless nights weren’t enough for Shindou as Sai once more came home to see the boy sitting in front of the go-ban, murmuring inaudible sounds under his breath, to the point that he feared that his student was trying to summon the demon himself. However, he had a feeling that Shindou wasn’t the only one in that condition. With only one more day left for the Gosei tournament, the boy needed all the edge he could possibly get in order to defeat the title holder, and if Ogata was being himself, he would have small breaks from studying Ichiryuu’s kifu consisting of studying Shindou’s.

“Hikaru, the match is tomorrow! You need to rest!” Sai crowded Shindou, putting his face right in front of the go-ban in an attempt to distract the boy.

“15-6… 12-4… Atari…” He continued to murmur, eye bags getting more and more visible by the second. His determination to beat Ogata was starting to worry Sai. “Hane 17-6…”

“Hikaruuu!” The long haired male exclaimed and did a chop to his student’s head, and that was enough to attain his attention. “You have to rest up and wake up tomorrow with a clear head, you understand? You’ve prepared as much as you can, and I believe you can win this!” He exclaimed, thinking about how lucky he was that tomorrow there would be no matches for him.

“Listen, Sai.” Shindou crossed his legs to face him. “After he said ‘Sai could’ve done better’ to my face, I need to win this. I have a feeling that he’s just going to repeat it if I lose again. This is also for Touya, since Ogata said ‘I’m better than you’ to him. Can you believe that? How childish does he want to be?!”

 _“Ogata-sensei, you mean well but you’re doing it wrong!”_ Sai almost face-palmed himself at the man’s poor attempt at encouraging the two. With Shindou, especially. One’s advice needs to be a good balance of strict and gentle, not just pure derogatory. “Hikaru. Sleep!” He insisted, grabbing Shindou by the shoulders and dragged him away from the wooden board, kicking and screaming.

Under normal circumstances, Sai knew that Shindou would try to relax the day before an important match because mental stability is just as important as one’s Go skill. However, after witnessing Ogata’s first match against Ichiryuu Meijin yesterday, both of them were left speechless. The Judan’s skill was not to be trifled with, they understood that much, but such display of dominance yesterday was jarring and eye opening. Ichiryuu played a wonderful game as he seemingly had recovered from his slump in time, but Ogata didn’t let the Meijin have any ground as he continuously predicted where his next move would be and set up stones to thwart his plans. It just showed the extent of research the man had done prior to the match. Ogata wanted that Meijin title. Bad.

However intimidating that was for Shindou to watch, Sai never wanted his student to rest this much in the time he spent with him. Dragging him by force and tucked him under the blanket with unexpected power from a man with lean figure like his, he started. “If Ogata-sensei did that much research on Ichiryuu-sensei’s playstyle, it means that he wouldn’t have the chance to review yours in depth! I want you to calm down!”

“But I want to make sure I can win against him, one hundred percent!” Shindou complained but made no attempt at getting up as he knew that he would be powerless against the perfectly healthy and well-rested Sai.

“Well, to strive to that, you need to sleep!” The male replied with his best stern voice. “ It wouldn’t be good if you lose because you’re sick or too tired.”

Knowing that there was in the middle of an unwinnable argument, Shindou scoffed and turned to face the wall and buried his head under the blanket. He could hardly calm himself down at the thought that he would be facing Ogata tomorrow in a title match. If he won, he would get promoted to 9-dan and Gosei, if he lost, he would be promoted to 8-dan instead. It was going to be his first title match in his Go career, and he felt like he couldn’t get his tail off from between his legs. Shindou had so much to prove in tomorrow’s game. He wanted to win for Akira who couldn’t join him in the finals, he wanted to beat Ogata in a game and wipe that damn smirk off his face and most importantly he wanted to show Sai just how deadly his Go had become. However, in the process, he felt like his legs were giving out from the pressure he took upon himself.

“Calm down, Hikaru. Calm down.” He muttered under his breath, inaudible by Sai who started to clean up the Go-board judging from the clattering noise. Shindou took a deep breath, held it for three seconds before exhaling, and he repeated it until he felt his heartbeat finally slowing down. “I’ve done all I can. I just need to focus and do my best.” Murmured Shindou as his knees finally relaxed and he managed to straighten them. Closing his eyes in another attempt of relaxing, he found himself falling into a deep slumber only with the clacking of Go-stone placed by Sai as a comforting background noise lulling him to sleep.

.

If there was one thing Ogata regretted, was not having enough time to study Shindou’s kifu even after digesting the fact that the upcoming match was going to be a brutal one. As much as he would love to review his games, his current focus was the Meijin matches against Ichiryuu. Ogata had prepared for a Meijin who would play as he normally would and had been ecstatic at the great game shown by the man for the first round, and even more elated at his overwhelming victory. Ichiryuu had played everything he expected him to, resulting in him being able to prepare a few steps ahead and completely rendering his moves ineffective.

It was a good feeling for everything to go according to plan, but he silently wondered if all the time he devoted to Ichiryuu’s kifu was going to come back and bite him on the ass during today’s match against Shindou, a boy who had Sai’s undivided attention. Ogata took a bite of his toast as he adjusted his tie while glancing over a copy of Shindou’s recent game against the Honinbo. It was undeniably an amazing game that had a lot of people discussing as to how such a young player was able to play at that high of a calibre. However, for the people who already had their eyes at Shindou from the very beginning such as Ogata himself, that much was expected from him. If he wasn’t careful, the boy would eventually surpass him, especially now that he had Sai’s full support.

Cursing when breadcrumbs fell on top of the paper, he grabbed the entire stack of kifu and made his way to his car in the basement. As he drove towards the institution, he stole glances at the game record he had on his other hand, being careful of his surroundings while he did so.

 _“I need to watch out for this.”_ He duly noted Shindou’s odd play against Ashiwara, turning strange stone formation into an advantageous one, how very like him. “It doesn’t seem to be perfect yet, but it might be now.” Ogata muttered as he stopped at the red light, running his fingers through his hair and shook his head lightly. It reminded him of high school when he would cram for his tests just like this, except he didn’t have to worry about getting outsmarted by some brat 15 years younger than he was.

Finally reaching his destination, Ogata stepped out of the car, leaving the stack of paper inside as he stuffed one hand inside his pocket and walked inside. Just ahead of him, he noticed Akira and Ogata walked a little faster to catch up with the boy.

“Good morning.” Said the bespectacled male calmly, making Akira turn his head and gave him a smile.

“Good morning, Ogata-san.”

“Are you here to watch the match?” He asked as they stepped into an open elevator and pressed on floor 5 where Yuugen no Ma is located.

As the elevator started to shake indicating their ascension, Akira nodded reluctantly with a tinge of bitterness still in his eyes. “I requested to record your match against Shindou today.”

Noticing that there were more to it, Ogata raised one of his eyebrows. “...But?” Why would they refuse Akira’s request? It was well known in the Go world that he was Shindou’s rival and had been written in the weekly magazine as a ‘rivalry of the generation’ and wouldn’t having Akira recording the match be an interesting twist?

The younger male exhaled as the elevator door opened. “They already requested Fujiwara-san to do it.”

As if on cue, they heard a loud screaming that belonged to the one and only Shindou Hikaru, followed with a “Why didn’t you tell me that you’re going to record my match today?!” Without having to see the event unfolding, they could tell that Sai was busy covering his face, so he wouldn’t be covered in Shindou’s spit by the end of it.

“It completely slipped my mind!” The long-haired male flailed about, running around the not-so-pleased Shindou in hope to calm his student down. “You were so distracted with reviewing Ogata-sensei’s games that I didn’t want to bother you!”

“Well, when did it happen, then?” The boy crossed his arms as he tried to interrogate the poor man in verge of tears next to him as he tried to beg for Shindou’s forgiveness for withholding the information.

“Last week. They approached me after my professional exam match.” Sai pouted, placing both of his hands on Shindou’s shoulders and shook him lightly.

The boy with bleached bangs let out an annoyed exhale. Right after he calmed down, telling himself that Sai wouldn’t be there to look over his shoulder, now this news hit him at the worst possible time. He was going to have his teacher sitting so close to him, seeing the moves he was going to play first hand. It was the furthest from ideal, but he had to deal with it. “It’s too late to get angry at you, I guess.” He took a deep breath and turned his back to walk around the fifth floor until the match started.

“Good luck, Hikaru!” Sai said out loud before he exhaled in relief and planned to start heading to his allocated room to start preparing for the match. Before he could walk past the hallway though, he spotted Ogata standing on the side with Akira. Sai gave them a small smile and bowed. “Good luck to you too, Ogata-sensei.” With an undertone of ‘don’t underestimate him’.

The bespectacled male merely nodded as he watched the internet legend disappeared into one of the rooms. Rubbing the back of his neck, Ogata sighed. “I’m going to take a breather.”

Reaching an open space on the fifth floor of the institute, the man in white suit flipped open a lighter and lit the cigarette between his lips before he turned around and rested both of his elbows on the railing. Ogata couldn’t help biting his lower lip when he felt his heart started to race. When he lifted his hand to clench the fabric covering his left side of the chest, he smiled, teeth grinding against each other.

His hands were shaking.

How long had it been since he felt such tremor inside him? He was shaking not in fear of what to come, but in anticipation. He could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of playing Sai’s greatest creation: Shindou Hikaru. A monster bred by monster.

Shindou was having trouble trying to calm himself down too, as he crouched over a sink while trying his best to slow his heartbeat down. It was here. The first round of his Gosei match against Ogata, a fight for one of the six titles in the Go world. He knew he had to win the first match to get a momentum or he would have no chance. Shindou found it difficult to calm down as he thought about how Sai would be watching, Touya would be watching, the whole _goddamn_ world of Go would be watching.

“I have to play for myself...” Shindou muttered through his teeth. “Forget Sai. Forget Touya. Just focus on the board.” He repeated those words again and again like a mantra he desperately needed to hang on for dear life.

After a long moment of silence only accompanied with the water streaming out of the tap, Shindou slapped his cheeks with his hands and opened his eyes, fire ablaze as he readied himself for the match to come.

Sai walked inside the room, followed by a female timekeeper for the game and then two reporters who immediately worked to ensure that the cameras were in perfect running condition. The viewing rooms downstairs were packed with people who wished to watch the long-anticipated match. They didn’t have to wait long as Ogata and Shindou walked into Yuugen no Ma simultaneously, neither even looking at each other as they walked and sat on their assigned seats.

Sai swallowed thickly at the tense aura surrounding him as he took a pen provided for him on the side of the table along with a blank empty paper. He glanced at Shindou, who seemed to be extremely calm as composed just like how Ogata was. It was going to be a gorgeous game, Sai could feel it.

“Round one of Gosei final match. Shindou Hikaru 3-dan versus Ogata Seiji, Judan and Gosei.” The female timekeeper announced softly, but loud enough for it to be clear. “Please nigiri.”

The two silently opened the lid on the go-ke and placed their pieces on the board before counting them.

“Shindou Hikaru will be playing black, and Ogata Seiji will be playing white. Komi is 6.5 and the time limit is 8 hours.” Said the black-haired woman before she moved her fingers towards the timer and started it when the two players exchanged ‘please’.

The 3-dan glanced at the title holder who in turn, returned his eyes with the same intensity. It seemed to last for an eternity before Shindou dipped his fingers inside the go bowl and placed his first stone at 17-4 komoku to secure a corner for himself, followed by a 4-3 by white, and 4-17 by black. Instead of exerting influence on the last available corner, Ogata approached Shindou’s first stone which the boy replied to with a high pincer. Ogata descended instead of playing a normal joseki variation.

Shindou’s eyes were watchful like a hawk’s on the board, trying to predict where his opponent’s next moves would be as they proceeded further along in the match towards the mid-game. Both having a great framework to support their play, and the board seemed to be even for the time being. No crazy overextension or invasion just yet.

Sai copied down each of their moves with his back perfectly straight and long kimono sleeves out of the way of the inked pen. Brushing back his long hair behind his shoulder, he once more focused on the match slowly unfolding before his eyes. It was a relief to see that Shindou wasn’t nervous at the prospect of fighting for a title, and Sai trusted the boy to give it his all.

In the viewing room, Akira swallowed when the first fight was initiated by Ogata as he performed a shoulder hit on Shindou’s lower right quadrant. Expectedly enough, the boy blocked only for the older male to connect his stone until he had a thick wall of three stones. They left their eyes on that part to focus on another, and this time the left half of the board started to get their full attention. The game was slow and steady, both had equal influence for the corner and centre, great positions to cut down any territories.

Shindou widened his eyes when Ogata added another stone on top of his already perfectly strong wall and he played his own shoulder hit to prevent his opponent from spreading across the board. _“That’s an odd move.”_ He muttered to himself as he replied to white on the lower left this time. _“What does he have planned?”_ The boy frowned, still focusing on the awkward and stiff stone formation on the lower right quadrant. _“The lower centre doesn’t seem to have much point, and he’s not effectively crawling towards the centre with that.”_  Tilting his head sideways, the boy decided to spend a few more moments thinking about it, wondering if any trap was going to spring. It was a worrying thought as he had never seen Ogata playing a trap on his games before, they had always been straightforward and sharp.

 _“Oh god.”_ He swallowed thickly, finally noticing the obvious aji that the man beautifully set up for himself. _“No matter where I play, he’ll kill me. If I play the hane on 15-16, he’ll just crawl towards the centre, but if I block him, he’ll just break my corner.”_ Shindou unconsciously gripped the fan that was neatly placed on his right side tightly at the realisation that what had been an even game for them, now skewed to Ogata’s favour as he decisively already destroyed Shindou’s largest territory potential.

The aura of aggravation radiated from the 3-dan and it didn’t miss Sai’s keen eyes. He glanced at the paper to look at the aji and smile. _“How are you going to handle this, Hikaru?”_ The man himself was also unable to find an appropriate response the four stones that Shindou invested back alive, and for that odd four stones wall played by the Gosei, Sai was awestruck.

In the fifteen minutes span that the boy spent thinking about his move, Akira was deep in thought. It was a brilliant play by Ogata. The only way Shindou could recover from this was to start playing for the right centre to prevent white from exerting its influence there too. At the moment, the upper right quadrant of the board was still relatively empty, and he should do everything in his power to shut Ogata’s stones in or the game would be lost.

Ogata took his time to read the game once more as Shindou was also deep in thought. So far, he was clearly leading. All he had to do was maintain it and ensure that he wouldn’t fall short on liberties and get swallowed whole instead. After a few more minutes of silence, the boy finally placed a stone on the top right corner, just like he thought he would. Shindou was trying to shut Ogata’s stones into the corner, but that wouldn’t be enough. He had plenty of room to make eyes and he had a good influence towards the centre.

 _“Hm?”_ The man’s brows scrunched to form a frown when Shindou decided to overplay up the top. _“Usually people would just jump instead of connecting.”_ He thought silently as he observed the less than effective move. _“I suppose he’s trying to get a strong wall before attacking my stone on the right centre? If that’s the case, that’s just too much. He can easily play 15-12 to weaken me.”_

The board started to look terrifying as time ticked on. And when Ogata finally decided to exploit the aji he set up, Shindou resisted himself from biting his lower lip. Instead of wedging, he played a hane on the other side of the stone, desperately trying to think of a way to make life. However, it was lost. _“Focus, focus. It’s not over yet”_ He chanted in his head as the bespectacled male slowly cut up Shindou’s potential territory on the centre. The 3-dan inhaled softly before he played for territory on the right.

Ogata started to get an odd feeling as time ticked on. He was missing something important and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. There seemed to be no trap on the board, maybe that was the thing that bothered him as Shindou always came up with excellent, well-timed explosive mines on the board. Was the boy being too careful as to not make a single mistake? Or perhaps there was a ticking timebomb right in front of him that he couldn’t see?

Without realising it, two hours had passed, and the female timekeeper announced that it was time for a lunchbreak. Both players took one more careful glance at the go-ban and the stone arrangement for their reading purposes. Sai watched as Shindou sighed to calm himself down before leaving the room, not sparing even one second to look at him. His concentration was sky high, and Sai opted against bothering the boy during his break time.

Shindou sat on the sofa inside the break room as he looked out the windows, visualising the board as he did so. His lips were unmoving as he tried to read ten more steps ahead. There were plenty of weaknesses for Ogata to exploit still and he had to find the most effective way to prevent that. The boy grabbed a pre-packed lunchbox out of his bag and uncapped a bottle of water to re-hydrate himself. _“It’s going to be a rough ride from here on.”_ He mulled, taking a bite from his food.

When he finished his lunch, Shindou washed his face and returned to the match hall and had a seat in front of the go-ban to once more analyse his current situation. Sai was still on his seat, also eyeing the board and Shindou himself. _“Good fight, Hikaru.”_ He smiled. Ogata returned soon after, thin trail of smoke escaped his lips as he exhaled and assumed a seiza on the opposite side of Shindou. Adjusting his glasses, he crossed his arms and focused on the stones scattered atop the wooden board until the timekeeper resumed the match once more.

The fire quickly returned in Shindou’s eyes as he placed a black stone with confidence on the board, which Ogata responded to with the same fervour and intensity. If their moves had been slow before the break, this time they sped up the game, having read a few moves ahead. Sai had no trouble keeping up with the two as he took the liberty to also read the game out and found a few surprising moves that the two could play to continuously shake it up. _“The fruit of your hard work shows, Hikaru.”_

As if on cue, Ogata’s breath hitched inside his throat at the one stone that Shindou played. He pursed his lips tightly and bit them before hovering his hand to cover his mouth and opened his eyes wide open. _“No.”_ He cursed under his breath when he discovered Shindou’s true intention of the overplay before the break. _“He’s not trying to shut me in or create influence for the middle-right. He’s...”_ Ogata swallowed thickly. _“He’s going to kill my cluster there. His defences are too thick for me to start crawling to the centre. How did I not see this variation?”_ Glasses slowly slipped down his nose, he glanced at Shindou who seemed like he was still deep in thought but relieved all the same as he managed to dish out his trap magnificently.

Akira leaned back on his chair after seeing the one brilliant move that Shindou played and he could tell that he wasn’t the only one who was taken by surprise as the whole room buzzed noisily. The boy had always been good at creative traps, but lately people started to take notice of it. Shindou never make mistakes, and so the stones he placed that seemed out of nowhere and just _wrong_ obviously meant that it was one of his traps, but now... Now he found a way to better conceal his fangs. _“Shindou... just how much are you going to improve?”_ He gritted his teeth in frustration at the thought that one day the boy would be able to incorporate his minefield naturally without anyone batting an eyelash. It was a horrifying thought for Akira.

Sai let out a small gasp at his student’s newest hand that made Ogata stopped to think. He knew that something like that was coming, but he never thought that it would be so perfectly timed and so discreet. Sai found himself nodding in approval at the newest weapon that Shindou managed to hone, thus sharpening his fangs. Shifting his eyes to Ogata, he wondered if the man would be able to answer to the intimidation with fangs of his own, or his usual deadly claws. Sai knew that the Gosei never reacted excellently to unexpected moves, instead playing a second best alternative due to his stiff Go. If only he would break the box he was contained in, he could open doors to so many new possibilities and perhaps sharpen the fangs that he never used.

Twenty minutes passed as Ogata read the board over and over again, trying to find an iteration that would let him turn the tide back to his favour. Tried as he might, there was nothing of massive value that he could do, so he clicked his tongue and forced himself to place a move on the board, a move that was good but not quite enough as Shindou relentlessly pressed on, reducing Ogata’s hard-earned territory on the centre, left and everywhere across the board until everything fell apart.

Ogata straightened his back and pushed his glasses up before he sighed and tilted his head forward.

Everything was only a background noise for Shindou as he glanced at Ogata and he felt his eyes widening in surprise, fingers so weak he started shivering at the words that followed.

“I resign.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geez whiz, this was a good fun to write! For you all Go gurus, I took inspiration from Honinbo Doetsu vs Honinbo Dosaku's game. [There are some pretty cool moves there and the aji set up by Dosaku was brilliant :)](https://78.media.tumblr.com/c20c5a197b86af4c930f783824268e9c/tumblr_p4y7meQif31rtjz1ko3_r1_1280.jpg). In this case, Ogata is black.
> 
> Anyways, you requested an art and so an art it is! It also gives me more excuse to draw my love Ogata so it's win-win amirite ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> Thanks for reading this chapter and do tell me what you think <3!


	9. Forcing Move

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter mostly highlights Sai's relationship with others.

When Sai arrived for his next pro exam three hours early, he was practically in tears and everyone there just knew the exact reason for his outburst so early in the morning, and they also knew that he would come hours and hours earlier than usual hence their presence. If possible, the man would probably camp in the institution as he looked forward to show everyone Shindou’s breathtakingly gorgeous game that netted him a victory against _the_ one and only Ogata Seiji. And to be perfectly honest, that was exactly why almost everyone had gathered there. They too, were keen to hear Sai going through the complicated fight that they couldn’t wrap their heads around.

Before long, there were already discussions posted in NetGo under Shindou’s growing kifu collection, something that Sai delighted in browsing. He could see his earlier games in the Hokuto Cup and some of his well-played Oteai matches that gave him a gauge of how much the boy had actually improved. Sure enough, he hadn’t slacked off and Sai was chuffed to confirm that for himself.

“And... and...” Sai started sobbing once more as he played out the move that decided Shindou’s victory. The blurred vision forced him to wipe the tears off his face using his oversized kimono sleeves.

“It’s okay, Fujiwara-san, we get it.” One of the boys said out loud, making everyone nod in sync. Sai had always worn his emotion on his sleeves based on what they had seen, but when it comes to his beloved student, he was even moreso. They could only imagine what kind of event transpired between the two the second Shindou won his match, and they somewhat felt sorry for the 3-dan.

The group spent the entire morning talking about the Gosei match and Sai answered any specific question directed to him about it clearly and concisely, but not without a dreamy sigh at the start of every explanation. Another one that he loved to talk about was the stunning aji that Ogata set up for himself, putting him at a clear advantage in the beginning of the game, but of course it didn’t come close to his teary expression of a doting father when someone mentioned Shindou’s brilliantly placed mine.

“I’m looking forward for the second round next week.” Said the long-haired male as he tried not to jump up and down on his seat, silently hoping that the day when he would sit in Yuugen no Ma playing against the title holders would come soon.

After winning his 19th game that day and while he was about to walk home, an unexpected guest stopped him in his track. He had beads of sweat on his forehead and his breathing was a little irregular as he called out Sai’s name, looking a little dishevelled.

“Hello, Touya-kun.” The man smiled at the boy who clearly had been running to catch him. The curse of a Go player is lacking in stamina, he mused. “May I help you?”

A few seconds after he regained his breathing, Akira finally managed to look at Sai and firmly said, “Will you play a game with me?” If Sai didn’t know the kid any better, he would have missed the hesitance in his eyes, how his eyelids fluttered slightly as if not daring to glance at him.

Curious to find out his unspoken feelings, the older male nodded and allowed Akira to lead the way into the elevator once more and towards an empty room. The boy closed the door and inhaled before he sat down on the chair. Sai stayed put for a few moments, watching how Akira seemed to drill a hole into the go-ban. The boy was clearly troubled and was trying to prove something by challenging him to a match. However, by the look of it Akira wasn’t going to let his tongue slip any time soon as he continued to brood. Sai decided that a game would be the fastest and most effective way to hear his thoughts, so he sat on the empty chair opposing Akira.

Akira took his time to take control of his nerves as he felt Sai’s heavy eyes settling on him, realising that something was amiss. However, he couldn’t back out now, especially not after Shindou’s match against Ogata the day before. The difference in their strengths was slowly becoming less fuzzy by day. Despite his best attempts, Shindou was overtaking him, one step at a time. He felt like he _needed_ to have a game against Sai just to put him at least an inch closer to his rival once more.

Both players exchanged a formal and polite bow before they proceeded to cup their hands around one go-ban—black for Akira, white for Sai. The game started rather slowly as they tried to establish a framework, neither male overthinking their moves and instead went with their instincts. It wasn’t until the first fight that Sai sensed that something was terribly off with Akira’s moves. The boy’s Go is rigid—not stiff like Ogata’s but firm, resolute, proud. Sai always indulged looking at his kifu as it showed just how confident he was, no matter how strong his opponents were. He was the exact opposite of Shindou who cut down his opponent not with sharp moves, but his deadly ingenuity. However, the Go that was slowly unfolding in front of him was not that of Akira’s. It was as if he was trying to change the essence of his playstyle, something that Sai frowned upon.

The man’s eyes lingered on the boy sitting in front of him as he started to stack stones upon stones on the board, not meaningless, but untrue to himself. Sai responded sternly by playing moves that would completely render his stones useless in an attempt to tell him to rethink his options. Even after the visible distress in Akira’s eyes and how he gritted his teeth as each move seemed to be more strained and sluggish than before, he refused to slow down and think. Sai had complete control of the board, both corner and the centre while Akira only had meaningless points here and there and Sai could picture himself winning by a _lot._

Akira knew full well that he wasn’t even close to winning the game, but he couldn’t find it in him to back out either. When he finally tore his eyes away from the board and lifted his head up, he was greeted with Sai’s narrow eyes and he felt his heartbeat picking up. He had seen the look on the man’s face when playing, like a different person than how he usually acted. Sai off the board is a ray of sunshine who never stopped moving with childish excitement, whereas Sai on the board radiates aura of intimidation who would crush those whose confidence was lacking. This, however, was a whole different Sai.

He could see the tinge of betrayal in his eyes along with bitter disappointment. Not once did he tear his sight away from Akira, not even to place a stone. The boy curled his fingers on his lap, scrunching his pants in process as he tried to not succumb under his eyes. After what seemed like eternity, Sai’s lips finally parted.

“This Go is appalling.”

Akira felt his heart stopped for a moment and he was unable to let any air in or out of his lungs as Sai’s words echoed in his ears. The man wasn’t referring to how badly he was losing, because Sai was a teacher who would gladly guide even his opponent in their quest of playing unique hands even if they lose their grip because of it.

Sai closed his eyes sadly and looked away from the board, as if unable to stand the sight of it. “Touya-kun, you are not Hikaru, and I hope that you _never_ will be.”

Akira’s lips trembled as he clenched the fabric on his thighs even harder. He should have known better than to underestimate Sai’s insight. After all, he had seen what magic the man could do during a game. However, he couldn’t help but believe that his Go wasn’t enough. He felt like perhaps if he played more like Shindou that he would be able to more effectively catch up to his rival.

“I wish you would realise the beauty of your Go.” Exhaling bitterly, Sai continued. “I do not want Hikaru to lose you.” The man pursed his lips at the thought of Akira slowing down to a stop in his trek only to look at his rival’s back getting further and further out of his reach. If that day ever happened, god forbid, Shindou would never be the same.

The boy casted his eyes on his lap and bit his lower lip at his futile attempt of emulating Shindou’s style that he thought would impress the male in front of him. He imagined that Sai, whose Go resembled his rival’s, would be more than happy to help him refine the style he was willing to play, but he hadn’t expected the bitter look of disappointment that he received. “Fujiwara-san, please be my teacher too!” Said Akira in jealousy at Shindou for having such a brilliant teacher able to make the best of him shine. It wasn’t that his father was a poor teacher by any means, but he hypothesised that by studying with Shinidou under Sai, he would be able to see first hand the extent of his strength and be encouraged because of it.

Sai shook his head as he extended his arms to clear the board, the clattering of the stones was loud. After a pregnant pause that unnerved Akira, Sai finally inhaled softly, relaxing his shoulders in turn and a gentle smile bloomed on his lips as he looked at the boy. “Then show me a game worthy of the name Touya Akira.”

The younger male nodded firmly. He wanted Sai to be his teacher, no matter what. If what it would take is one great game, then he would be more than willing to give it.

Akira started on hoshi and they soon filled up the board with moyo and potential territory. Sai laid claim on the bottom left corner of the board while Akira exerted his influence towards the centre while trying to close the door on white. The boy took his time to make a move, making sure that there was no trap laid out in front of him while reading a few steps ahead. However, he knew that Sai would somehow find a variation that he didn’t manage to read out and make it work. It was daunting, but it was also thrilling to play such unexpected Go.

 _“Good.”_ Sai whispered to himself as he watched Akira placing his fingers on his lips, deep in thought. The fact that it took him a few minutes to answer his hands during the mid-game meant that he was taking the match seriously, and that he was playing calculatedly, true to himself.

Each hand Akira played became more confident than the one before and Sai could slowly see the ember residing in his eyes slowly burn brighter as he continuously attempted to cut up Sai’s territory and even though he lost by 4.5 moku in the end, Akira felt like a huge weight had been taken off his shoulder. He leaned back on the chair and observed the board pensively. He surprised himself at how much fight he was able to put up against the internet legend who did not hold back on him.

If Akira had a weakness, it would be his tendency to respect that gave birth to reluctance in his Go. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t matter as he wasn’t the type to be intimidated easily, but when it comes to those close to him such as Shindou, Ogata and Touya, his Go was a lot more prone to defect. Perhaps it was his desire to prove something, so he plays carefully—too carefully. Sai understood that even Shindou wasn’t completely immune to this shortcoming as he had seen during the Gosei match just the other day and how mortified he seemed when Sai told him that he was going to be recording the match. However, Shindou had been through the same predicament a few years ago when he was far too terrified to play his true hands against Sai in fear of his skill, and he emerged victorious in the end while Akira was still in the middle of his battle. It was understandable due to their young age.

Sai smiled at Akira, completely unmoving. However, the boy understood what the man was trying to tell him. Shindou hadn’t ran far ahead—he was still within arm’s reach and it was more than possible for him to take a giant leap to stand next to him once more, only if he would stop glorifying the boy and take a look at his own improvements.

“Thank you, Fujiwara-san.” Akira let out a sigh of relief, an exhale that seemed to allow all of his pessimistic thoughts seep out of his being. Suddenly, he felt liberated. “Shindou is really lucky to have you as a teacher.”

“And I would be delighted to teach you too, Touya-kun.” Sai replied gently and watched as Akira blinked at him in surprise. “Well, I’d like it to be after I become a full professional, and I might have a few others too, if you don’t mind that.”

“Not at all!” The boy replied abruptly just a split second after Sai could finish his sentence. “I would be honoured to attend your study sessions, Fujiwara-san—sensei!”

Amused at the all-too-eager response, Sai chuckled but couldn’t help feeling flattered that Akira was that elated at the prospect of studying with him. After exchanging a few words regarding the game, Sai realised that the sun was setting outside and he yelped in surprise. “I have to go home. Hikaru will get upset if I don’t make it by 7!” He took a stand and resisted flailing around in panic. Akira cocked one of his eyebrows at the curfew set by his rival for a perfectly grown adult.

“Would you like a ride home, Fujiwara-san?” Came a deep voice from behind and when Sai turned around, Ogata was standing on the doorway with his arms crossed, idly eyeing the game on the board with mild interest.

“Ah, you don’t have to trouble yourself, Ogata-sensei. I can take the train just fine.” The long-haired male turned down politely since he knew that Ogata’s apartment was located on the exact opposite direction to Shindou’s residence.

The bespectacled male chuckled at the expected response. “Please, I insist.” Said the male before laying his eyes on the boy behind Sai. “Would you like one too, Touya?”

Akira shook his head lightly with a small smile, glancing at the stone-filled board in front of him. “I’d like to stay here a while longer. Thank you for the offer, Ogata-san.”

Ogata shrugged. “Suit yourself. Let’s go, Fujiwara-san.”

Realising that there was no refusing the man’s offer, Sai walked after him, not forgetting to say his goodbye to the boy before leaving the institution and towards Ogata’s car. They entered the car and Sai tried his best to resist a grin at the thought of riding a car once more, but it seemed like it wasn’t concealed enough as Ogata chuckled beside him.

“You don’t take cars often, do you?” He asked as he gestured to Sai to put his seat belt on.

“Mechanical transportation is still a foreign concept to me!” The younger male replied with excitement as the car started to move.

Ogata cocked one of his eyebrows at the odd response. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, uh...” Sai immediately stuttered after realising that he said way too much. “It’s... it’s a long story.” He brushed it off. Shindou wouldn’t be too happy to find out that he had told Ogata the truth, after all. Not to mention that the man would most likely not believe him if his logical Go was anything to go by. Sai stared through the window as colours flew past them in a blur and the orange sky loomed, suddenly finding himself deep in thought.

He never questioned it and neither did Shindou. Both men had been too afraid to get into the root of it in fear that it might somehow separate them again, but Sai was eager to know the reason for his return. Why did he come back? How was it even possible? What was the purpose for his second life? Was it just to complete yet another job, or was he there to live his own life? A million questions floated in his head, but there was no one to answer them. Sai was lost.

“...ra-san?” Ogata’s voice echoed in his ears. “Fujiwara-san?” Repeated the bespectacled male once more as Sai finally snapped back to reality.

“Ah, yes! My apologies, Ogata-sensei.” The long-haired male turned his head to face the frowning male. “What is it?”

“I said, I overheard you talking about a study session with Touya.” The male said as he adjusted his glasses and eased up on a red light, watching pedestrians cross the street. “I was curious as to why. Wouldn’t you like to focus on ranking up once you become a professional? Perhaps some tutoring sessions to generate some income for yourself? With reputation such as yours, I believe that you will not struggle to find interested students.”

“I have always loved teaching, Ogata-sensei, and I refuse to do it for money. Watching my students grow is the world’s greatest reward.” Sai smiled as he brushed his hair back over his shoulder. “I might not seem like it, but I am very selective with who I take under my wings.”

Nodding lightly, Ogata pressed on the gas once more to move the car. “You don’t have to be formal with me. If anything, I should be the one calling you ‘Fujiwara-sensei’.”

“Oh, please, you don’t have to! Just Sai is fine.”

“Alright, Sai.” Ogata muttered. “What is it exactly that interest you when looking for a student?” He asked in sheer curiosity as he himself would love to know if he would have a chance of studying under the grandmaster too. Now more than ever, since he was defeated by Shindou just the other day.

As if reading his mind, Sai gave him a big smile. “I would gladly welcome you, Ogata-san.”

Hearing the straightforward response, the male glanced at Sai through his peripheral vision. “Am I that obvious?”

“No, but if you have lived as long as I have, you learn a trick or two in understanding subtle body language and shift in intonation.” The visibly younger male announced proudly before he realised the gravity of his mistake through the way Ogata frowned at him once more. “Please don’t ask.” Sai shifted uncomfortably on his seat as he tried to fix a bullet wound with a band aid.

“You are an enigma, Sai.” Ogata sighed, to which he was answered with a nervous laughter.

The car was shrouded in silence with the hum from the car’s engine as a background noise. Moments later, Sai found himself glancing at a corner of paper sticking out of the glove compartment and it took him a good few attempts to unlock it to find a stack of kifu paper spilling out. Not just any random plays either; they were all Shindou’s.

Unflinching, Ogata started. “I was too careless. My defeat in the first round will not carry over to the second.”

Sai smiled as he flicked through the game record carefully sorted out in a chronological order, suddenly getting lost in Shindou’s match against Akira before the Hokuto Cup. He could just visualise the intensity and sheer focus radiating from the two. It truly was a shame for Akira to lose before the semi-final. “Hikaru is an excellent player, is he not?”

“Shindou has the talent and making of it. He’s creative and never ceases to impress me with his surprising and reckless moves. Sometimes I don’t know if he’s lulling his opponent into a trap or if he’s making a mistake although most of the time, it’s the prior.” Ogata chuckled at the few times in the early days that his trap would sometimes backfire on himself. It was amusing as much as it was embarrassing to watch. “But I don’t want to undermine your significance in polishing his skill. Without you, he wouldn’t have grown so quickly.”

“You flatter me, Ogata-san.” Sai smiled as he flicked through the kifu once more to see a few of his games too. “You have been studying my games?”

“I’m pretty sure everyone has.” The man shrugged nonchalantly. “If they make another _Invincible_ book, I’m pretty sure it will be of your games. And please, Seiji is fine.”

Before Sai had a chance to ask what he meant by _Invincible_ , they reached their destination and right after Sai thanked Ogata for driving him all the way there, he was greeted by Shindou who had his arms crossed, expression less than happy.

“It’s 7, Sai! I thought we were gonna play at 6 today! And why the hell are you with Ogata?!”

“Good to see you too, Shindou.” The bespectacled male gave the boy a smile and held a hand up as a way to mock him. A vein seemed to pop on the kid’s forehead but he decided to not make any comments.

“I’m so sorry, Hikaru! I got held up by Touya-kun. Seiji was nice enough to give me a ride home.” Sai turned around and bowed, completely missing the look of terror on his student’s face after hearing Sai calling Ogata by his first name. “Thank you!”

“It’s no problem, Sai.” Replied the male as he rolled the window back up before driving off into the distance.

“I don’t know why your animosity towards him. Seiji is a very kind person.” Sai blinked at Shindou as they stepped foot inside the house to immediately have a late dinner.

“To _you_ , maybe. If you ask around, ‘kind’ is not a word that anyone would use to describe him.” The boy with bleached bangs scoffed as he took a large gulp of rice from his bowl using the chopsticks in his hand. “You haven’t been helping my opponent, have you? And first name basis already, Sai? Really?”

“That is an interesting thought!” Sai raised his voice in excitement. If he helped Ogata in his Go, that would mean Shindou would have to strive for better too. At the look of disapproval shot by his student however, he immediately curled his lips to sulk. “Even though it would be a great source of encouragement for you...”

The boy ignored Sai’s remark as he continued to scoop mouthful of food inside his mouth and munched loudly. “So, what were you doing with Touya?” He finally asked.

“We played a game.” Retorted Sai shortly, eyes twinkling with excitement of recalling the brilliant hands that the boy made just a few hours ago. Shindou wasn’t about to lose his rival any time soon, after all.

The two finished the rest of their dinner and said their goodnights to Shindou’s parents before retreating into the room for the night to do a little bit of practice for the kid’s upcoming match against Ogata. Just because he won once didn’t guarantee that he would win the next. He had to work just as hard if he wanted to steal the Gosei title off the man.

That fact was even more evident as they sat inside one of the viewing rooms the day before Shindou’s match to observe Ogata’s second match against Ichiryuu. Both played a solid game with no mistakes from both parties, but unlike last time’s overwhelming victory that forced the Meijin to resign early, this time they made it to yose and white took the victory with 0.5 moku. Ogata failed to pocket his second victory that day, but he still had five more chances to do so in the best of 7 match. If anything, a hint of concern creeped into Shindou’s mind at what it meant. Ogata had stopped reviewing the Meijin’s games so much, and most likely had been analysing his.

 _“Bring it on,”_ Shindou’s lips tugged to form a smile of anticipation with Sai sitting next to him with the exact same expression. Win or lose, it would be a great learning experience for both parties.

Unfortunately for Sai, he wasn’t able to view almost a quarter of the game as he had to go to his last day of pro exam. After his overwhelming 24 victories in a row with all of those ending up in resignation, he was crowned a professional already. However, he couldn’t find it in him to skip the last match as he knew that his opponent, Kawahiro had been looking forward to that day, and to not show up would be an insult.

“I resign.” His opponent said and gave him a small smile, as if saying ‘you don’t have to review the game for me’ due to Sai’s politeness to stay and point out a few moves that his opponent did wrong. At that point, everyone there knew that Sai loved Shindou with his whole heart and that he had been dying to watch this match since the day Shindou won his first round. It was an honour for Kawahiro to have Sai playing against him under such circumstances, although it resulted in his expected loss that closed the door to the professional world right in front of his eyes.

As Sai navigated through the rest of the contenders, some seemed exasperated and a few chuffed at the result, he couldn’t resist a small smile. Two others would be joining him in the professional world and he couldn’t wait to watch their Shin-Shodan match too. Professional exam was the start of an amazing journey for him, he was sure of it, and he was glad to be able to share it with his student.

As soon as Sai opened the door to the viewing room, he found that everyone’s eyes were fixed on the screen, their lips slightly agape and stone clenching fingers hovered above the somewhat filled go-ban in front of them. Waya and Isumi were seated in the corner and they wore the exact same expressions as everyone else’s. When Sai finally decided to dissect the board through the camera, he swallowed thickly.

Shindou was fighting a one-sided match and he was losing.

Akira was seated by himself in the other corner, lower lip tucked underneath his teeth as he painfully watched his rival’s plan being utterly and completely thwarted by Ogata. Not only did he not set-up his trap perfectly, each of his move was being predicted by the Gosei and no quarter was given to him whatsoever.

“Fujiwara-san,” Waya finally noticed the male standing near the doorway and gestured to him to take a seat next to him. Sai complied, but couldn’t find it in him to tear his eyes away from the board in an attempt to read out the sequences of moves that led to such disastrous outcome.

“We’re still entering the middle of Chuban. Surely, Shindou would be able to catch up, right?” Isumi mutered under his breath as he took the boy in topic’s pause as a chance to play out some variations that might arise. Waya helped him out with Sai glancing at the board thoughtfully. “This is when the fight will be at its peak. Every move will be critical from here on.”

The brunette nodded as he placed more stones on the board. “No, this won’t work.” He muttered after seeing the leftmost group being pressured, almost reduced to a killable shape. “I doubt Shindou’s going to be satisfied by giving up this group to keep this one alive. He has to take both if he wants a chance at winning at all.”

“There is a way.” Sai muttered under his breath, but not quiet enough it appeared, as everyone quickly turned his head towards the male. “If Hikaru can find such move, then regardless of the outcome of the match, I would be most joyous.” He picked up a few stones that Waya and Isumi had placed earlier using his slender fingers and placed them back inside the Go-ke softly.

Clattering of chairs being pushed back overtook the silent room as everyone made their way towards Sai, interested to see what move would be able to bring back the tide to Shindou’s favour. “The moves that you played were good, but it isn’t the best.” The male straightened his back as he dipped his fingers inside the sea of Go-stones to retrieve a white piece. “And it is precisely how you said it: Hikaru cannot give up either of his groups just to try to reduce black’s territory in the centre. He has to find a way to force a response from Seiji, a move that would threaten to cut through his territory and connect his left and right groups at the same time. It is not a golden ticket to victory, not by any means. If Seiji responds correctly, he will successfully prevent Hikaru from turning the lead against him.”

As soon as Sai placed a white stone in the middle of two black stones, everyone else frowned and buzzed in surprise.

“This move made use of this stone.” Waya stammered at how different the board looked now that the white stone was wedged in between black. He watched as Sai played an iteration of it, and everyone else was silent, eyes completely fixed on the board that Sai handled.

“The best case scenario for Hikaru is killing Seiji’s cluster and completely claim the centre as his own.” The male continued, illustrating what was in his mind to everyone around him who nodded in understanding at how grave any mistake coming from Ogata would be at that point. “However, I doubt that Seiji will blunder as critically as this. The best response would be here, and that means Hikaru cannot push through and he will be in trouble.”

Everyone inside the room seemed to hold their breath at the magnificent insight displayed by the internet legend. Akira pursed his lips pensively as he pointed at a point on the board. “That move isn’t beyond Ogata-san.” After all, he had known the man for as long as he could remember and although it was a subtle move, he believed that there was a possibility of him answering the brilliant white move, if Shindou really did play it, with an equally excellent move of his own. However, he knew full well that it would require the Gosei to clear his head from all the logical thinking and instead give in to his instinct, something that Akira knew rarely happened.

Before any of them realised it, there were chairs scattered all around one corner table where Sai originally shared with only Waya and Isumi as they watched the detailed and thorough explanation Sai ran through. He clearly knew Shindou’s style of Go very well and familiar with Ogata’s as he predicted what would unfold. Questions were asked to which the long-haired male was able to effectively answer, and everyone seemed to be in awe at the display of such insight.

Time ticked on but Shindou remained unmoving which only served to bring some to the edge of their seats. A few people left the room to grab some drinks from the vending machine not far from there, but those who had been waiting for the match as much as Sai had, remained.

“You seem awfully calm, Fujiwara-san.” Waya remarked idly, momentarily tearing his attention away from the game in order to break the silence. “Aren’t you worried that Shindou’s going to lose? Or are you confident that he’s going to win?”

Hearing that, Sai giggled softly and leaned back on his chair still with his back perfectly straight it made people wonder where he learned to maintain such posture. “I would love to see Hikaru win, but I wouldn’t be displeased if Seiji is the one to be victorious today. Especially not if Hikaru plays the move I just explained.” Sai glanced at the board, more accurately on the one vital move he placed. “In fact, if Hikaru wins all of his matches but learn nothing from them, that would be when I’d feel troubled.”

Isumi, Waya and Akira smiled at Sai’s attitude towards Go. It was a refreshing, in comparison to others who only fight for glory and not for their love of the game. They found themselves drawn by the man’s innocent affection for Go, perhaps his strongest source of motivation to outdo himself on a daily basis.

“It’s been 20 minutes.” Isumi frowned as he stood up to stretch his muscles. “And it’s almost time for their break.” He glanced at the clock that was close to 12:30, meaning that the game had run for a little over two hours. As if on cue, the timekeeper announced that it was time, and the two players stared one last time at the board before coming to a stand and walked out of Yuugen no Ma.

“Fujiwara-sensei,” Akira called out and the addressed male turned his head to face the boy. “A game, if you’re free?”

“Oh! That’s right.” Waya raised his voice after hearing Akira calling Sai ‘sensei’. “Congratulations for your impeccable record for the pro exam. Well, not that I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Thank you! It really has been a pleasure to participate and watch so many young people so passionate about Go.” Sai’s smile was ear-to-ear as he moved to a free go-ban, clear of any stones.

“I’d like to play you too if you don’t mind Fujiwara-sensei.” Isumi blurted out when he saw that the man silently accepted Akira’s challenge. He had never had the chance to play against the legendary Sai, after all, and would like to experience his strength first hand.

“No fair! I want in too!” Waya chimed in and moved to grab another empty board and arranged it neatly on the tables without first hearing Sai’s consent.

“Alright! Let’s play a quick round of hayago. 10 seconds per move, how about that?” Sai replied in anticipation as he watched the three professionals in the room worked their way through the mess and set up three go-ban in front of him.

What Akira, Isumi and Waya initially thought as 10 seconds per move per board for Sai, appeared to be 10 seconds across all three boards and they found themselves at loss of what to say as the shodan in front of them moved his hands so quickly after observing the board for merely a few seconds. Although his moves weren’t as sharp as they normally were, the still leave marks on the go-ban that the three had to be careful of or they might just find themselves eaten alive by Sai’s prowess.

 _“Oh my, oh my,”_ Sai thought in his head as he revelled himself in the fast-paced game. As expected, all of them managed to keep up with him, although he could see the tinge of urgency in their eyes as Sai continuously placed his moves on the board. It was a good time for him to test their mental strengths when faced with an opponent playing twice as fast as they could. The long-haired male spent a little more time analysing his match against Akira while not forgetting about Waya and Isumi’s. They were very skilful in their own rights, but neither male was on the same level as the young prodigy.

The game stretched on until some people started pouring back into the room as Shindou and Ogata’s match was about to resume. They garnered a few audiences themselves as they watched the hayago open-mouthed.

Sai’s game against Isumi finished first, and he left the boy to start counting their territories, this time attention undivided towards the two remaining boards. His eyes skilfully danced between the boards as his fingers moved from one to the other. A few minutes later, he completed the game against Waya and Akira followed shortly after.

Isumi stared disbelievingly at his board and then towards Waya’s and Akira’s. He found himself biting his lower lip at the result of their matches. If initially he had thought Sai was powerful, this time he tried his best to not tremble. Sai came out victorious against him with 0.5 moku and Waya 1.5 moku and although he lost against Akira, it was only a 1.5 moku difference. Such great hands with only 3-4 seconds thinking time.

“What great games!” Sai chirped just as the Gosei match resumed. The crowd, however, decided to observe the three boards filled with stones with stunned expressions instead of focusing once more on the screen.

“Heh,” Waya chuckled to himself when he realised that Sai had improved. He wasn’t like how he had been when he played him last month. Sai was advancing along with Shindou and it sent electric current down his bones.

“Oh!” The long-haired male gasped when his student played the move that he explained to everyone in the room just before the break, and he smiled when this time, it was Ogata’s turn to pause. _“Can you see the correct response, Seiji?”_ He thought to himself as he knew that the Gosei would probably be as surprised as everyone else had he not pointed out such brilliant and dominant move. Although the board was by no mean, even, Shindou caught up and from the momentum, Sai believed that he would manage to turn the table around if his opponent failed to play the critical hand. It was not a far-fetched concept, as he knew that Ogata doesn’t react excellently to surprises.

In other words, Ogata’s next move would dictate the rest of the game.

Akira swallowed thickly at the pregnant pause on the screen. Although he knew that Ogata was the stronger player between the two, he wanted Shindou to win against the odds. His heart hammered in his chest as he saw Ogata’s fingertips on the edge of the screen, hand hovering about the board in a slow motion until he placed the stone on one very specific location.

Sai’s lips bloomed into a smile as yet another pause occurred on the screen, and the room whirred with noise. Shindou wasn’t the only one who was in the middle of his metamorphosis, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _[Invincible](http://www.szabadsolyom.hu/go/doc/TheGamesofShusaku.pdf)_ is a book about Shusaku's games and have been long considered the bible of any pros.
> 
> Sorry Isumi I didn't draw your face! Lol.
> 
> My boyfriend gifted me whole 23 volumes of Hikaru no Go manga for my birthday :) I was surprised to see they have more details regarding how the professional world works. That will help a lot, for sure!
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter. The story is a bit slow at the moment but I hope you're liking it! Do leave comments and kudos as they are the source of any author's motivations <3 Love you all! Thanks for reading!


	10. Loose Ladder

Sometimes Shindou felt like he was trapped as a main character in an untold story of tragedy that occurred after the book ended—no one was there to read it as there was nothing for them to see. He felt alone, abandoned, shelved. There was no one for him to share his tale with, a catastrophic story that no one would understand, a truth that he was forced to keep hidden.

Shindou wanted nothing more than to rip up the pages of his book and remove the parts where Sai had been a part of it. Perhaps then, the grief and guilt that never failed to rip his wound back open would finally heal. However, even the thought where Sai hadn’t been by his side for those awfully short two years filled him with loneliness.

He kept a calm facade even when he was slowly rotting from the inside; he had to. He couldn’t possibly pack up and leave the career he built together with Sai when the man he was looking for lived inside his Go. Sometimes, it worked. Sometimes Shindou stopped wallowing in what if’s and instead learn to appreciate the legacy that Sai made for himself. Even if Sai no longer existed, even if the world would never again hear of him, he would be immortalised through his Go. However, it was the little shit in him that wouldn’t stop turning his head after every brilliant game he played, as if looking for a smile that he knew would never again witness. It was the frail Shindou Hikaru screaming that he would be nothing without Sai that he had to fight against.

He didn’t know why the gods had to be so cruel. Sai had lived for a thousand years. What difference would fifty more make? Why did they rip his teacher, his best friend, the white to his black, away from him? Sai had yet to reach the hand of god, so why did he disappear? If it was for the sake of him finding Go and rising as a professional, then he wished he never took it so seriously. Because in this game of one-colour Go, he was losing.

The bitterness in his tongue was permanent, he thought. The only salve to soothe his burn was seeing Sai in his dreams. Shindou was scared to death of forgetting how his purple eyes would shine whenever he played a game worthy of victory and how his lips would curve as he listened to him talking about nothing. To be able to see Sai to some extent brought him comfort.

Which was why he found it hard to believe that the gods answered his desperate pleas and returned Sai back to his side. This time, whole.

Shindou didn’t know what to think when he saw Sai in the Institution that day, and he had little regard for secrecy as he leaped into the arms of the friend he treasured so. His fingers trembled as he clutched the fabric of Sai’s kimono, and body shivered as he felt Sai’s warmth on his back. Shindou revelled in how his breath smelt like lavender, and how his grip was gentle yet reassuring. He didn’t want to let go in fear that Sai would escape his grasp once more and he would be left alone, more broken than before.

As he attempted to complete his match against Ochi, his fingers wouldn’t stop clenching the symbol of Sai in form of his paper fan as if the harder he gripped it, the less likely it would be for Sai to go. Shindou managed to get it together by convincing himself that if he won, Sai would stay. He managed to recover some part of his concentration and was glad that he came out victorious in the end, even if it was a close match. Before he had a chance to regain his breathing or even thank Ochi for the match, Shindou found himself halfway through the hallway into the rest area outside the match zone to see with his own two eyes that he hadn’t imagined anything in his head. As he made his way, he repeated Sai’s name over and over again in his head.

When he saw the purple hair tied in a loose ponytail facing away from him and looking outside through a window, Shindou cried.

He didn’t know how long his outburst was, as he ignored the watchful eyes while he buried his face in Sai’s chest. Gods, he felt _so_ real, and for once in two years, so did Shindou.

Sai said nothing throughout the entire thing, but just being there was more than enough for the boy. Just feeling warmth radiating from his previously cold body and feeling the softness of his skin as their fingers interlaced together made him feel whole, made him feel like he was Shindou Hikaru.

Even now, Shindou sometimes found himself waking up in the middle of the night just to glance at the futon next to him to make sure that Sai hadn’t disappeared again. Sai was the first thing he checked in the morning and the last thing he checked in the night. When one time he found the man missing, Sai returned from the bathroom to find the boy crouched on his bed, shaking as he cried.

Shindou prayed to whichever god was listening so that they wouldn’t turn this story into another tragedy.

.

“Beginner dan series start next month, doesn’t it?” Waya muttered, resting one side of his face on his palm, elbow on the glossy table as he scrunched up the burger wrapper in his hand and threw it to the red plastic tray. With the pro exam finally out of the way, now come the long-awaited shin-shodan. Currently, there were four title holders present, Ogata, Ichiryuu, Zama and Kuwabara. However, based on what NetGo discussions he saw of Shindou’s games against Ogata, he had a good chance of being a title holder himself. It left a bitter taste on his tongue. Shindou started off as an insei later than he was and yet he managed to overtake him at every turn.

“Finally, Nase will be joining us.” Isumi mused, remembering how a couple of years ago she had mentioned something about wanting to look for something else to do. It appeared that her passion for Go was far too strong to be cast aside, it was a comforting thought to greet yet another friend from his insei class. “It’s a shame that Fuku fell short, though. He was so close this time.”

“He did well. I heard Nase only lost twice.” The brunette shrugged. “I haven’t really seen her latest games, so I don’t know how much she’s improved. I heard that Fujiwara-sensei had been coming in early sometimes to have a mini teaching session during the exam, so this year’s pros might have some edge against the big games.”

Isumi chuckled at Waya’s visibly envious expression. Ever since Sai made his appearance, his fanboy attitude seemed to grow larger each passing day. However, now that he had a chance to witness Sai’s strength, he really couldn’t blame the boy for continuously wanting a rematch. “It feels a little quiet without Shindou here.”

Waya laughed at Isumi’s statement but couldn’t help agreeing with it. “Yeah, he’s been hanging out with his beloved teacher too much lately. That combined with his Gosei match, the only time we get to his nose is on the screen. What a traitor.”

“You miss arguing with him don’t you, Waya?” The black-haired male teased, voice full of mirth as the brunette frowned and crossed his arms. “Well, I suppose it’s a change. Sometimes I feel like I’m being stared at whenever I walk here. They probably classified us as the troublemakers already. It’s surprising that we haven’t been forced to leave yet.”

“That’s nothing.” The other male growled as he uncapped the lid on his soda cup. “You should’ve seen his practice matches with Touya in the salon. Sometimes I don’t know how they handle those two constantly screaming at each other while trying to make a point. I mean, are they even friends?”

“I can only say the same with you two, honestly.” Isumi sighed, remembering all the times he had to be the mediator between the two so no one would get smacked in the face. Shindou is far too impulsive and outspoken for his own good, and when he comes into contact with someone just as easily riled up as he is, _bad_ things happen, with capital B. It was also an odd thought that Akira, someone who always seemed to be on his best behaviour at all time to be provoked by Shindou’s hot-headed nature.

Unable to argue with Isumi, Waya just shrugged. There was something about the male that made anyone lose any will to start a ruckus and he was glad for that. If there was one more Shindou in the group, they probably wouldn’t be able to stand each other for more than fifteen minutes. “Once he’s playing though, it’s like he’s a whole different person. But then again, almost everyone has a second personality when it comes to it, huh?”

“Fujiwara-san seemed to be his usual happy-go-lucky self when he played us in that triple game, though.” Isumi’s mind wandered back to the event just a little over a week ago.

“Makes me wonder if he has fun crushing weaker opponents.” Waya shuddered at the thought of his idol being sadist, mentally cackling when he saw his competitor’s defeat and frustration. He would’ve expected that from Ogata perhaps, definitely Kuwabara, but not Sai. “I have a feeling that we haven’t even seen his serious mode.”

“Don’t you have study session soon?” Isumi glanced at his watch and saw Waya’s shoulders jerked up in surprise, having completely forgotten all about it.

“Shit! Morishita-sensei’s going to kill me.” The brunette stood up, grabbed his backpack and immediately charged for the door and returned only to say his goodbye, leaving Isumi sighing at his friend’s unorganised self. He knew full well that Waya had been waiting for today’s study session as they were about to go through Shindou’s third game against Ogata, a game that resulted in a 0.5 moku victory to the title holder, unlike his overwhelming defeat on the second round. It was an extremely close one and no one knew who was going to emerge the victor in the end, as during yose they left no ground and the advantage kept switching back and forth.

Sai himself was rendered speechless as he remained unmoving for the entirety of the match and despite everyone else present in the room wanting to ask him questions regarding Shindou’s ingenious trap, there was just some sort of veil that surrounded him, effectively pushing everyone away. By the time the game was concluded, the man immediately got up from his seat and left the room before anyone could approach him. He wondered why he was in such a hurry. Initially, he hypothesised that he went to congratulate Shindou for putting up such a magnificent fight, but when the boy walked into the room asking where Sai was, he realised that it wasn’t the case. Shindou ended up sighing and muttered something about buying Sai a mobile phone before leaving the room without so much as a word.

Sighing the thought away, Isumi stood up and started heading for the nearest go salon. He had a few more hours to burn before his tutoring session. Might as well use it productively.

.

“Oi, Sai. Check this out!” Shindou’s voice was loud, distracting the owner of the silky purple hair from the computer screen. Noticing that Sai wasn’t about to move any time soon as he was in the middle of a NetGo match, Shindou brought it upon himself to hoist his body up, but not without an exhale. The boy placed the manga he bought yesterday on an empty space.

The resignation screen flashed, and Sai finally tore his eyes away from the screen to take a look at the page that Shindou had opened. “Oh!” The man exclaimed in delight at the sight. It was a brand-new manga about shogi and it said that rising professional Kaga 3-dan was the one supervising it.

“That’s pretty cool, isn’t it? I haven’t talked to him in so long.” Shindou’s eyes twinkled at the pleasant surprise of finding out that his senpai had gone pro.

“Do you think we’ll see him today?” Sai pressed both of his hands on Shindou’s arm and shook it softly in childlike amusement and the boy couldn’t help but smile in endearment. Sometimes it was still difficult for him to comprehend the fact that Sai; the restless spirit, his other half that had been forcibly ripped apart for him had now been returned in flesh. If this was god’s scheme all along, then he would have no reason to throw the tantrum that he did when Sai disappeared. If Sai was to stay here forever, Shindou would be more than willing to sacrifice a lot more than two years of his life he spent grieving over the absence of his closest friend.

Seeing Sai’s hand on his and feeling the warmth and sensation of skin plastered onto his was enough to make Shindou bit his lower lip discreetly to prevent any unnecessary emotion from spilling. It wouldn’t be pretty for him to start sobbing right before they leave to watch the high school Go club tournament. Shindou masked his rollercoaster of emotion with a soft smile.

“I highly doubt it, but Tsutsui-senpai’s going to be there. He texted me yesterday.” The boy walked towards a small cabinet near his bed and opened it to retrieve a container of hair gel. “You’re ready to go?”

Sai gave his hair one last brush using his fingers before he got to his feet and gave Shindou an ear-to-ear smile of anticipation. “I am!” Just when the boy bent over to grab his backpack, Sai suddenly remembered to tell Shindou one very small re-arrangement to their plan. Nothing massive, but the man had been dreading to tell him about it because he knew exactly what response it would draw out. “Uhm, Hikaru?”

“What?” The boy threw container of gel onto the bed and slung his backpack over his shoulders.

“Well, you see...” The long-haired male stammered, fiddling with his thumbs as he did so. “Seiji will be joining us today.”

A pause.

“WHAT?!” Shindou practically yelled out and he could hear Mitsuko’s voice from downstairs asking them what happened, to which Sai responded with ‘nothing’. “Alright, how in the _earth_ are you suddenly best friends with Ogata? As far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t even have any friends!”

“That’s not true at all!” Sai cut defensively, his lips curling into a pout as if he was the one who was being offended. “He has Edward the Third!”

“Edward the _what_ now?” The boy with bleached bangs glowered.

“His goldfish! He showed me some pictures of him and he’s really small and cute!” The man flailed his oversized kimono sleeves around. When he saw that Shindou merely sighed in exasperation at the unsatisfactory response, Sai continued. “Hikaru, Seiji really _is_ a gentle person at heart. He’s just, uh,” Sai placed a finger on his lips as he tried to find a way to correctly phrase his next word. “He just needs to work a little on his social skills.”

“That’s an understatement. He’s a sociopath who probably fucks his own Go-board.” The boy scoffed as he opened his bedroom door and left.

“Hikaru!” Sai exclaimed in distaste at the description and trailed after the boy outside the house where Ogata was waiting. Not only Ogata, it seemed, as Sai joined Shindou on the backseat.

“Why wasn’t I informed that I’m going to a field trip?” The boy with bleached bangs glowered, arms crossed as he tapped his index finger in frustration after seeing that Akira was sitting on the shotgun. The plan that day was to check out how Haze would be doing in the tournament, just Sai and him like the good ol’ days. Not with Akira and definitely not with Ogata. Shindou thought his presence and Sai alone would be quite sufficient to make everyone nervous but add the two in the addition and he had a feeling that everyone would be shitting their pants.

“Now, now. The more the merrier, right?” Sai tapped the boy on his shoulder and Shindou felt himself relaxing a little. “Besides, I think it’s good for you to take a little break before your next match.”

“That was my plan, but now you bring the guy I'll be playing against _tomorrow_ into this, I don’t think this is gonna count as a break!” The boy scoffed.

“It’ll be fun, Hikaru!” The long-haired male grabbed the boy and shook him side to side in a sorry attempt to convince him. “Seiji, you’ll be on your best behaviour, right?”

“I’m _always_ on my best behaviour.” Ogata mocked by blinking innocently at the rear-view mirror, directed towards Shindou who pretended to gag. Beside the bespectacled man, Akira exhaled lightly while placing a hand on his face as if regretting his life decision.

“Okay, if Ogata’s job is to chauffeur us around, what are you doing here, Touya? Be part of the furniture and look pretty?” Asked Shindou as he rolled his eyes, arms still crossed.

Before the addressed male could say anything of value aside from hopeless sighing, Ogata decided to cut, voice monotone and expression deadpan. “He’s here to distract you as I kidnap Sai to my apartment and have him tutor me until our next match.”

“Ogata-san!” Akira glared at the man half-heartedly because unlike Shindou, he actually had respect for the Judan. However, every time he watched the interaction between his rival and his senior, he found himself questioning Ogata’s actual personality. Perhaps Shindou just bring the worst in people, he decided.

Sai took his kimono sleeves up and covered his lips as he laughed the loudest laugh Shindou had ever heard until he had to wipe the corner of his eyes with his index fingers. Even after pausing for a split second, he continued. The boy turned his head to look at his best friend, glee radiating from every crevice of his being and he felt his stomach going aflutter. It was quite a sight to see the man letting loose.

Shindou’s hand crawled towards Sai’s free one and grasped it, unblinking. The man’s laughter faded into series of prolonged giggles as he tried to focus his attention at his student.

“Sai, are you happy?” The boy murmured under his breath, soft enough so that neither sitting at the front could hear him.

The male with long hair blinked before smiling wholeheartedly at Shindou and sighed in delight. “Yes. Yes, I am, Hikaru.”

“What interests you in the Go club tournament, Ogata-san?” Akira started curiously after he noticed that Sai’s laughter had ceased. After years he spent getting to know Ogata, Akira noted that the man wasn’t the type to actively scout for new and rising talent hence the such small tournament would certainly be overlooked.

The bespectacled male placed his finger on his lips, pondering about what he should say before finally giving up and uncharacteristically shrugged. “I was just hoping to have a rematch with Sai by the end of the day.”

Shindou almost hissed at Ogata after hearing the response before turning to face his teacher. “Sai, you won’t help my enemy before the matches are over, right?” The pause and the look on Sai’s face was enough to sour Shindou’s expression. “You’re such a traitor.”

The man being scoffed at merely giggled at Shindou’s frustration but before he could say anything of value, Ogata slowed down his car as a sign of their arrival. There was a conveniently placed parking spot right next to the entrance that was empty, and he reversed to claim it before anyone else could. A few moments later, the car’s hum came to a stop and there was an audible click of the doors being unlocked.

Akira walked out first, folding the seat to allow Sai and Shindou to exit the car. They were followed straight after by Ogata who already had a cigarette between his lips and his fingers working on a lighter he retrieved from inside his pocket. They haven’t even stepped foot inside the venue yet, but Shindou could see how everyone seemed to be staring at them and keeping at least five metres distance away. He could somewhat see that everyone who should’ve moved straight, moved in a curve instead to avoid them.

Shindou sighed. If it was only him and Sai, perhaps everything would’ve been so much better. Sai would be far too busy being excited for people to be terrified of breathing in the same space by him, as opposed to Akira who would make people think twice before approaching them, as the kid had a reputation for being intimidating. However, Shindou knew why everyone seemed to avoid them like the plague: Ogata.

“You’re scaring the kids, Ogata.” The boy with bleached-bang muttered as the man took a whiff of his cigarette and exhaled away from him—thank god.

“That’s what I’m here for.” The bespectacled man in suit muttered and Shindou could’ve sworn he saw the corner of his lips tugging into a small smirk and his glasses glinting under the sun. “There’s nothing I love more than scaring the kids.”

“Is that why you pick up Go in the first place? To exert your dominance?” The boy stuffed his hands inside his pocket as they approached the entrance.

“No,” Ogata denied shortly. “With Go, I can murder the people I dislike without being thrown into the jail.”

Shindou turned his head with his mouth wide open in surprise, especially seeing how his expression didn’t change whatsoever as he said it. Ogata stared right back at Shindou as he stubbed his cigarette and threw it inside a bin, making the boy shake his head at the man’s taste in dark jokes.

“Oooooooh!” Sai squealed as soon as they walked inside, especially seeing all the go-ban laid out on the desks, the young and the more mature alike engaged in friendly games as they spoke. “Hikaru, look! They’re selling books over there! Let’s go, let’s go!” The long-haired male didn’t allow for any room for response as he grabbed Shindou’s arm and dragged him along.

Akira watched the two pacing away towards the nearest stall and he decided to follow them, saying “Hey, don’t run!” as he did so, leaving Ogata to silently wonder if he had to be the babysitter for the day.

The event was a lot larger than Shindou remembered it to be. Aside from tournaments, there were also teaching sessions in the other room that went through a few recent games in the professional world. Sai had been insistent that they come to it right after Haze finished their matches and Shindou was far too powerless to refuse the man.

“Mitani is the second board, huh?” The boy mused as he looked over the boy’s shoulders and see that he was busy trampling his opponent flat to the ground. It was also the case for the first and third board. Sai was behind him, staring excitedly at Akari’s first board game and nodding in delight every now and then at the moves that she made.

Tsutsui finally arrived by the time mid-game rolled around and muttered a soft apology for his lateness, something that Shindou laughed off. They inspected the games in silence, noting that Haze’s victory was definite. Somewhere along the line, they lost Akira, and he only returned once the game ended with troubled look on his fair complexion.

“You look like your pet hamster just died.” Was the first thing Shindou said, almost making Tsutsui gasp at the rudeness that his friend displayed. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” The boy exhaled helplessly. “I’ll be doing shidou-go during the thirty minutes break.”

“You didn’t say no? Just how timid are you?! Geez, I can’t let you off for even one second.”

“It’s not my fault that I’m being polite, unlike you who would probably swear at them!”

“Yeah?!” Shindou leaned forward challengingly. “I may be rude, but I’m only selectively rude!”

“Like that makes a difference!”

“It’s better that kissing everyone’s feet!”

The two were practically forehead-to-forehead as they growled at each other, making the crowd stare at the two while buzzing among each other seeing the unprofessionalism displayed by the two young professionals.

“Well, since I’m _nice_ , I’m going to accompany you.” Shindou crossed his arms, not without letting out a long and exasperated exhale. “Where do I sign up?” Asked the boy, making Akira point at a small stall in the corner of the venue.

“They said that their two teachers are flooded right now and need all the professional help they can get.”

“Can I join too?” Sai bounced on the spot at the thought of playing simultaneous games before dashing forward to grab the approaching Ogata by the arm, but the man remained unflinching even at the sudden contact. “Seiji, you should do it too!”

“I hate brats.” Was the only thing he said as he remained unmoving, letting Sai grip him by the shoulders and moved him forwards and backwards in an attempt to convince the Judan. Seeing that the shodan wasn’t about to let up any time soon as he continuously shook him while repeating his name over and over again, Ogata finally sighed. “Alright, alright!” and let himself be dragged by the far-too-excited Sai.

The 2-dan minding the Shidou-go booth’s jaw dropped open when he saw Akira walking back with Shindou 3-dan, a man who defeated the Gosei; the Judan and Gosei himself in flesh, although looking like he was about to murder someone; and the internet legend, a fresh professional, Sai who had an ear-to-ear grin.

They quickly set up the space in a full circle of four go-ban for each pro, a total of sixteen. On one side, sat Sai whose smile was flowery enough to attract the attention of teenage boys who immediately filled up the four boards, followed by Akira who had a soft smile and a look of concentration as he saw the crowd getting thicker around them. Shindou’s boards was the third to get filled just after Akira’s, with the girls preferring his sunny smile. Ogata’s was the last as he tried his hardest to death-stare at anyone who got too close, leaving only the gutsiest to get past the murderous intent.

Sai was the most patient and experienced out of them all and it showed in the way he reviewed the games. He managed to balance analysing the four boards without making anyone feel like they were left behind. Akira himself was a natural, as he had plenty of experience with shidou-go in the Go salon that he frequented. The young pro was soft spoken, choosing his words carefully as he went deeper in his analysis. As for Shindou, he reviewed games with Sai so often that his style of teaching stuck in him, although not half as amazing as his teacher at it. Ogata himself was surprisingly gentle and didn’t try to scare the kids off as he calmly pointed out the flaws in their plays without passive-aggressively mocking them.

The day quickly came to a close, and disappointingly for Shindou, Haze came short from taking the first spot as Mitani was defeated by a Kaio second board. However, they were happy to see that Shindou had taken the time to see how they were doing.

“Should we grab dinner?” Tsutsui clasped his hands together as an idea to properly seal the day. It was greeted with a cheerful yes from Akira and Shindou. Unsurprisingly, Mitani had been quite disinterested at the idea and it was only thanks to Shindou forcibly dragging the boy to the nearest ramen restaurant that he finally agreed. Akira awkwardly tagged along with his rival.

Ogata felt _so_ out of place and uncomfortable as the under 18s made their plans as he finally opened his mouth before they could enter the restaurant. “A game, Sai?”

“Sure!” The long-haired male answered enthusiastically, letting himself be led to the nearest Go salon.

.

For a few hundred years, Sai watched his life—if he could even dub such meaningless existence as one, passing by him in a flash of light. He would relentlessly scream, begging for someone, anyone to hear him and set him free from such pitiful state. People passed by him as he moved from one store to the other, deaf to his pleas until Sai’s will finally crumbled into dust. He forgot when he stopped making as much as a croak and instead started to revel in the constellations sprawled atop his brown sky.

Sai would sit in a seiza, ogi fan clenched in his palm as he looked up, watching game after game and noticing how it slowly evolved from the Go he played for Torajiro. The moves that his ever-changing owners played had been unorthodox, something that no one would dare play back in his era and it was enough to bring a small smile into his lips. Sai learned to speak to the silence, to listen to it and its story. If he was lucky, he would hear the soft clack of Go stones echoing inside the board, making him tremble.

He wasn’t sure what the gods had planned for him. If he was destined to reach the hand of god, they could at least afford to extend Torajiro’s life and not take him at such a young age. Despite him allowing Sai the liberty of playing through him, Sai knew what talent Torajiro concealed inside of him—a lion waiting to be awakened. He was one in a million, a treasure that Sai regretted never polished, something that he assumed that he would never again encounter.

Perhaps such an empty existence was his punishment for being selfish.

Sai resigned himself to another hundred years of loneliness until a bright white light cut through him in the form of Shindou Hikaru, his salvation. A boy he came to love with all his heart, a boy with potential so overwhelming he found himself at loss of what to say. He was the white to his black.

Sai never asked to be ripped apart from him, but it seemed that his prayer to fade away was answered at a wrong time when reached out for his student, half-lidded as he idly gazed at their unfinished game. Shindou couldn’t hear his voice screaming out his name, just like all those time, just like those hundreds of years where people would walk past him without giving so much as a glance.

As his body slowly glimmered and enveloped in green light, Sai found out that a thousand years hadn’t make him a strong enough man to not disappear without a cry and one last ditch prayer to any god that was kind enough to listen to him.

“Please, I want to keep watching over him. Please, _please_. Please let me remain by Hikaru’s side and I swear I will _never_ ask for anything else.”

Sai shut his eyes as his body completely faded away, tears unrelenting as it dripped down from his chin down to his white noshi. Inside his closed eyes, he saw Shindou, so dishevelled and so frail, his voice cracked as he talked, it almost broke Sai. However, he found his lips unable to move or throat to push out air to make a single noise. It was as if he was floating in vacuum as he continuously saw another image of his student. This time, he was a little more mature, more composed, but Sai could still see the bitterness in his voice as if he was forcing himself to not cry. He was doing a much better job than Sai.

The fleeting spirit couldn’t find it in him to mutter a single word or open his eyes in fear that the images would fade away like he did. So, he watched. He saw Shindou another four times, talking about how he got promoted to 2-dan, about how he beat Akira, about how he won the Hokuto Cup. Sai wasn’t entirely certain if it was just flashes of hallucination the gods had been kind enough to provide him with as he slowly moved to the other world, or if it really was his student. Sai didn’t care. He was thrilled enough to know that Shindou was the last thing he would see before he would completely disappear.

The last thing he expected when he saw light spilling from his long-closed eyelids was a clear blue sky and the softness of grass underneath him as he propped himself up to a sitting position. He was completely naked as he shivered at the cold spring wind.

_Cold._

How long had it been since Sai felt it?

Sai’s mind was fuzzy as he made his way down the hill and felt his feet giving out under him. He braced himself as he felt his sense of balance betraying him and he fell shoulder first onto the ground. An old couple found him in the evening and offered him a place to stay for the night and provided him with a set of traditional purple kimono that fit him perfectly.

It took him a while to realise that he was alive, in flesh, and wasn’t in the afterlife, and it didn’t take him as long to find Shindou.

Sai was overwhelmed with emotion when he saw the boy in front of him, as baffled as he was. Shindou was as mature as visions depicted him and at that instant, he knew that his hallucinations hadn’t been a fragment of his imaginations. They were the real Shindou communicating with him in the time that he was gone, only in a blink of an eye for Sai.

When his student cried in his arms, Sai didn’t. He had to be Shindou’s strength, he had to keep the boy together. So as painfully difficult for Sai to stop his tears from overflowing, he remained strong and only letting his emotion spill when Shindou resumed his match.

Sai thanked the gods every night for answering yet another prayer of his, and he planned to not take his best friend for granted anymore. He didn’t want the look of sorrow and despair that he saw when he disappeared to ever return to his beloved student. This time, Sai wanted to hold his hand, taking the time to convince Shindou that he was there to stay, that he was real.

It seemed that his return wasn’t without price as he found himself relying on the portable oxygen mask more frequently than before. That night he played with Ogata in a Go salon hadn’t been an exception. He could see the look of concern behind Ogata’s stoic expression as he inhaled deeply. The man had offered to take him to the hospital, but Sai kindly turned him down. He would be just fine, he thought. He couldn’t afford to worry Shindou any more than he already did.

.

That morning, Ogata found himself wrapped with uneasiness as he made his way to Yuugen no Ma. He disposed of the exhausted cigarette into the nearest bin, letting out one large exhale that allowed smoke to escape. Around that time, he would usually see Shindou in the break room just like the last three times he played the boy.

 _“I suppose I’ll check on him.”_ The bespectacled man thought as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The boy hadn’t exactly been happy after he dragged Sai away from him last night. He wasn’t sure where Shindou’s possessiveness for Sai stemmed from despite understanding that there was an unbreakable bond between the two.

The only sight that greeted him was the large open window, showing the grey sky outside and how the roar of the thunders creeped closer each passing second. The seats were neatly tucked in with no sign of anyone having used them all morning, and that was enough to convince Ogata that something was going wrong.

When he assumed a seiza inside the Yuugen no Ma, waiting for his opponent to come, the frown on his forehead didn’t disappear. He stared at the empty seat in front of him as time ticked on, no sign of the boy anywhere, no sign of Sai who was supposed to be recording the match today either.

Something was terribly wrong.

He wouldn’t bat an eyelash if Shindou’s arrival was delayed by a few minutes, but he knew for a fact that Sai would never allow the kid to come in late for such an important match. Especially not when Ogata was only one victory away from successfully defending his Gosei title for the third time in a row.

When he saw a man running into the Yuugen no Ma with sweat dripping down his forehead and whispered to the slightly restless female timekeeper, “Fujiwara Sai was brought into the hospital just an hour ago.” That Ogata knew the feeling of dread he had swirling inside his stomach was not just his imagination. Sai’s hospitalisation would only mean one thing.

Shindou wasn’t coming to the match. He would win by default.

It left a repulsive aftertaste in his tongue. He had been looking forward for his victory in today’s match, but not in such a pathetic and anticlimactic way. His triumph was supposed to be overwhelming as he looked down upon Shindou. Ogata wouldn’t have it any other way. He refused to take such a sad victory.

Before the judges could say anything about Shindou’s default loss, Ogata propped himself up to a standing position and looked at them straight in the eyes.

“I forfeit.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to use this chapter to talk about Sai and Hikaru's feelings. I realised I've never really talked too much about it. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy the chapter. It was fun to write Hikaru, Sai, Akira and Ogata's shenanigans. Drawing it was a lot of fun too. I hope I can focus a little more on Akira soon.
> 
> I did say that I was going to end this story soon, but at this point I'm not even sure anymore. I'll just let my hands do their thing lol.
> 
> As usual, comments and kudos are highly appreciated <3


	11. Counting Liberties

“Sai, I’ve been meaning to ask you.” Shindou started as he gripped the handhold in the train tightly to prevent himself from losing his balance when they suddenly slowed down, coming to a stop completely. Watching the door opening and the bell chiming throughout the platform, he continued. “Where did you run off to last week after my match? I forgot to ask you since I had to go to the Go salon.” The boy continued, recalling how Akira had been particularly agitated for a practice game that day.

The addressed male blinked as he watched a swarm of people exiting the train. He squeezed himself between Shindou and the wall next to the door. “I played a game with Seiji. I thought I saw something interesting in his game against you that day.” Sai mused, thinking back to the great game he played against the Judan.

Shindou raised one of his eyebrows after hearing his friend’s confession, feeling the tinge of irritation swelling up from his stomach. “You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with him lately.”

Noticing how his student’s voice seemed to drop, Sai gave him a small apologetic look and a smile. “I wanted to see just how much he has improved.” That didn’t seem to satisfy Shindou however, as he exhaled loudly when the door closed. “Hikaru, I’m sure you saw it too.”

“Saw what?” The boy muttered half-heartedly, eyes cast outside the windows as the terrain blurred. As a matter of fact, Shindou knew what Sai meant. Ogata was slowly learning how to adapt to his playstyle and it started to worry him. The man had always had a knack to truly and thoroughly dissect one’s style and find some way to play around it, but he never thought that he would be able to answer his surprises so quickly. Shindou had been shaken when Ogata played a hand that he hadn’t expected, almost nullifying the trap that he thought he set up brilliantly. The 3-dan tried his best to not let it faze him and he managed spring the trap, but he still lost by 0.5 moku in the end.

It didn’t go past Sai’s watchful eyes how his student immediately seemed to be lost in thought, and he shook his head lightly. That day, Sai knew he had to propose a match in order to gauge how much Ogata had improved by, and he wasn’t disappointed. The match today would be quite a difficult feat to overcome for Shindou if the Gosei played like he did last time.

“It’s all your fault, Sai.” Shindou murmured under his breath, lips curling into a sulk.

“My fault?” The long-haired male almost gasped at the accusation. “What do you mean it’s my fault, Hikaru?” The question wasn’t defensive, but more curious.

At that, the boy exhaled loudly and place one hand on his hip. “You’ve been playing him a lot, and he’s probably learning from you. If you hadn’t done that, I’d have this one in the bag already.” Shindou felt his tongue drying out as he let those words escape. He knew that it wasn’t right. Knowledge of Go wasn’t something that should be kept, and Sai was doing the right thing by encouraging others to outdo themselves. It was such a selfish thought that he should bury and never again allow to resurface, he knew. He was powerless to dictate what Sai could and couldn’t do with the life that he was granted by the gods because that would scar what beautiful relationship they had built from zero.

If Sai wanted to take more students, it was entirely up to him and frankly enough, the sensible side in Shindou knew that Sai was destined to spread his knowledge. Taking that away from him would almost mean taking away his rights and he wasn’t sure what the repercussions would be. It was just excruciatingly difficult for the boy inside him to acknowledge that everyone now could see, touch, hear and learn from the thousand years old being. Something that was only his and his alone, now belonged to everyone.

But still,

Sai is _his_.

Sai shouldn’t be teaching anyone else. Sai should be satisfied with teaching him alone. No one deserved to breathe in the same space as him, because they haven’t been through what Shindou had. They hadn’t experienced the memories that they shared, they didn’t know him as well as he did, and they had no idea about the gut-wrenching pain Shindou had to undergo alone when Sai disappeared. They shouldn’t reap the benefit of Sai’s presence and his knowledge.

They haven’t earned it. They haven’t _earned_ it. _They haven’t earned it._

The dark thoughts clouded Shindou’s mind and they suffocated him until he felt his knuckles turning white from the pressure in which he gripped the handhold. The boy tried his damned hardest to banish them, but he wasn’t strong enough. He wanted Sai all to himself because the bond they shared is sacred and no one else was supposed to get in between.

The long-haired male noticed the silence and how insecurity seemed to ooze out of his student and he pursed his lips, trying to work out what exactly was troubling him. Surely Shindou didn’t hate Ogata enough to despise the idea of him spending time with the Judan? Or was there something else that he was missing?

“Hika—”

Sai didn’t manage to finish his sentence as he felt a sharp pain in his stomach as if a knife had been buried inside of him. He slammed one hand against his fully clothed belly, the burning sensation spread like wildfire and it rose up to his chest and it constricted him. In order to clog out his throat, Sai’s body forced him to gag, which was followed with a reflex of his hand covering his mouth.

Shindou turned around in a split second, just in time to see his friend choking and bending over with a hand covering his stomach, as if he was in an unbearable pain. He knocked the people around him in the process, as dark red liquid splattered from between his fingers that were capping his mouth. Shindou’s eyes were wide open as Sai fell to his knees and spilled out blood on the ground, which prompted other passengers to jump in surprise.

Everything was only a background noise for Shindou as he stared with his mouth agape. One second Sai was fine, the next, he was crouched in front of him, whimpering pathetically. As people took out their phones to call for ambulance and the train coming to an emergency stop, Shindou remained still, everything was moving in a slow motion for him.

When Sai placed both of his hands on the pool of his own blood vomit, the boy felt dread slowly overtaking him and he immediately crouched and rounded an arm around Sai’s back. “Sai, oh god. Sai.” Tears immediately welled up inside Shindou’s wide eyes as he chanted in his mind, ‘please don’t take him’ as if his entire existence was hung by a thread and only by saying those string of words that he would be saved.

Sai weakly tugged on his student’s blue suit jacket, leaving bloody handprints all over it and they were quickly escorted outside so the train would be able to resume its journey. The man tilted his head slightly upwards to see the utterly horrified expression on Shindou’s face and he felt his heart breaking.

“I’m so sorry, Hikaru.” He muttered weakly and looked away, unable to summon enough strength to gaze at him any longer.

“Sorry? What for? Why are you sorry?” The previously shaken up 3-dan was now dismayed as his tears started to drip down his chin. Surely, Sai wasn’t giving up on him, was he? Sai was here to stay. Sai wouldn’t leave him _again_. That would ruin him. He wouldn’t be able to recover from Sai leaving him for the second time.

Noticing how poorly he phrased his words, Sai’s eyes shot up back at Shindou as they glimmered with moisture. He didn’t want to cry because he promised that he wouldn’t, but he hated that look on his student. He hated the fact that he was the reason for his pain and insecurity and frailty. “I’m not leaving you, Hikaru!” Sai choked out, voice so strangled much like his throat. “I made a promise that I will never make you look like that anymore... I don’t want to see you so dishevelled like this, Hikaru, not over me. Not again. You’ve been through enough.”

Shindou let out a loud sniff as he watched the ambulance slowly drawing closer, suddenly feeling a little relief washing over him. Sai wasn’t going to leave. It was going to be okay. _He_ was going to be okay.

“Hikaru—” Sai coughed as he entered the back of the ambulance, propped up by the paramedics using a stretcher. “The match—”

‘No!” The boy immediately snapped once he regained some sense back. Sai was in trouble, and there was no way he would leave him be. Even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to play a game worthy of a title match and that would be a blatant disrespect to Ogata and Akira, and everyone watching. It wouldn’t sit right.

“But if you don’t go, you’ll—”

“I’ll lose.” Shindou cut him sharply but without any hesitation. It was upsetting for him to give up the decisive game he was supposed to play today, but none of it would have any meaning if Sai wasn’t there to watch him. “So what? I’m staying.” He disrupted his own train of thoughts through gritted teeth.

Sai felt a pang of guilt when he realised that he was relieved that Shindou wasn’t going to leave his side. His hand found its way to his student’s, who gripped it firmly to reassure Sai and most importantly, himself, that everything would be fine.

Once settled inside and the vehicle started moving, a paramedic immediately covered Sai’s mouth with an oxygen mask and the man sighed in relief at the loss of choking sensation from within. The entire trip had been a silent one aside from the paramedic asking quick questions about how Sai was feeling. Shindou’s grip on Sai’s hand remained firm until they finally arrived in the hospital.

The doctor asked more queries regarding Sai’s diet, if he had any condition that he was aware of and if this ever happened before. Shindou waited nervously in the room, helping his teacher to answer anything that he was unsure of. Once the investigation was finished, Shindou stepped outside with the doctor who seemed to be deep in thought.

“Based on what I can see, he might be suffering from gastritis which isn’t deadly in itself, but mostly occurs on people who are over 60. However, we would need to run some tests before we can confirm anything.” He mulled, placing his pen back inside his coat pocket. “So, you said something about Fujiwara-san collapsing before?”

“Yeah... and the doctor said something about him not being used to his body. The test result returned nothing, apparently, so it was written off as an anomaly, but...” Shindou scrunched his forehead to form a frown. “I just want to make sure that he’s fine.”

“We will do a second test. Don’t worry, Shindou-kun, we will do anything in our power to find the root of the problem.” Before the doctor had any chance to say anything else, he heard footsteps quickly approaching and when he turned his head, his eyes almost popped out.

“Touya?!”

“Shindou! How is Fujiwara-sensei?” The boy asked as soon as he came to a stop, amidst his heavy breathing.

“You have an oteai match today!” Shindou glanced at the time. There was still one more hour, but really, he shouldn’t be there if he wanted enough time to prepare.

“And you have a Gosei match today, but here we are.” Akira quickly added, which was responded with a nod of acknowledgement from Shindou as if saying ‘you have a point’. “How is he?”

“He’s fine for now.” The boy with bleached bangs bit his lower lip, eyeing the closed door and feeling his entire body shaking once more at the graphic image he witnessed. When the nurse emerged out of the room with her metal trolley, they were given the green light to enter once more.

“And how are _you_?” Akira turned his attention to the clearly shaken boy who was visibly trembling as they walked inside the room to see his teacher lying on the bed, covered with oxygen mask, face as pale as he was last time he was in the hospital.

“Been better.” Retorted Shindou simply with an exhale as if he was trying to sigh the worry away. They each dragged a seat next to the bed and Shindou gazed at Sai dejectedly. “Feeling better, Sai?”

The long-haired male gave his student a delicate nod as he smiled, trying to comfort Shindou. However, when he felt the boy’s hand grasping his securely that Sai felt he was the one being soothed instead. “I made you miss such an important match.”

Shindou shook his head while not tearing his eyes away from the man. “No, it’s just one game. I always have next year.”

“Touya-kun, don’t you have your oteai today?” Sai queried upon laying his eyes on the young prodigy who almost as concerned as his rival.

“Ah, y-yes.” He stammered, unsure of how to answer it. “I still have time, I suppose, but...” Akira trailed off, glancing at his watch. He might run a little late, but it should be alright. His opponent for the day wasn’t particularly strong and Akira hadn’t been adamant about the matchup.

“Thank you for your concern, Touya-kun, but I’ll be fine. You should go. It would be disrespectful to your opponent otherwise.”

Before Akira could raise another statement, they heard loud and heavy footsteps stomping their way towards the room and it slowed down, revealing no other than Ogata. Sweat dripped down his forehead as a sign that he ran all the way there despite it being frowned upon in the hospital. Not like Akira was any different himself, he thought.

“Sai!” The male walked deeper into the room, voice full of apprehension as he stopped to inspect how pale and frail the man seemed to be. “What happened?” He shot his sharp eyes towards Shindou in an attempt to interrogate the boy.

“It wasn’t pretty.” Murmured the boy before eyeing the bespectacled male distastefully. “Are you here to gloat about your default win?”

Ogata was tempted to say yes, but it wasn’t the time and place to be trying to rile up the already rattled boy in front of him, so merely stared at him and said, “I forfeited.”

Shindou frowned, judging the credibility of the Judan’s words, and eventually decided that he was telling the truth. He rose one of his eyebrows, genuinely surprised that the title-hungry professional hadn’t just take his absence for granted. Hiding his relief at the fact that he still had a fighting chance, Shindou looked away from him. “What, you turned out to be pretty considerate.”

Akira himself hadn’t been too shocked at the fact that Ogata chose to tie the match up to a 2-2 as he knew that even though the man could seem to be a little reputation-hungry, he wouldn’t just accept such a pathetic victory once he found an opponent worthy of his time,

“I should leave.” The boy muttered, glancing at the clock on the wall once more. He would be late by a few minutes, but nothing too grave.

“Good luck, Touya-kun.” Sai smiled as he watched the boy excusing himself before he turned his attention to Ogata who gave him a look of concern. “I’m glad that Hikaru will have another game against you.”

“Oh, please.” The Judan scoffed. “I want to trample your precious student flat to the ground in a proper match. I refuse to have it any other way.” Shindou rolled his eyes after hearing the statement, followed by Sai’s giggles. Clearly, the man was getting used to Ogata’s antiques and Shindou wasn’t sure how to react to it.

“See, Hikaru! Seiji is nice, isn’t he?” Sai beamed at his student.

“Sure, whatever.” The boy shrugged, releasing his grip on his teacher’s hand and instead opted to cross his arms.

Ogata relaxed into a sitting position after seeing that there was nothing major to worry about regarding Sai’s health. After a brief moment of silence, the Judan started quietly. “Have you always been like this? Is this why you didn’t go pro sooner?” His stoic eyes suddenly melted into a more tender gaze as he watched Sai, a man who he slowly started to consider as a friend.

“I... I suppose.” The shodan gazed at Shindou, unsure of how to answer it.

“No, Sai.” Ogata shook his head, leaning back on the chair and took a deep breath before Shindou could say anything of value. “I want to hear it from you.”

“I—” Sai stammered and pursed his lips nervously, but Shindou only sighed in resignation. He was far too exhausted to start arguing with Ogata. Noticing that no assistance would be coming from his student, Sai finally locked his eyes into Ogata’s weakly. “You won’t believe our story.”

“Oh?” The bespectacled male raised one of his eyebrows and crossed his arms and legs. “Try me.”

“Seiji, from what short time we spent together, I fear that I know that you will never believe us.” Sai sighed sadly as he twiddled with his thumbs over the blanket covering his body.

“Sai, I forged your ID and passport. I know I’m in for something insane already.” The older male stated which was answered by a look of surprise in Sai’s face. “You wouldn’t be able to take part in the pro exam otherwise. Now, I’m all ears.”

“Oh. Thank you, Seiji.” The male’s eyes glimmered with gratefulness when he realised the important role that Ogata played in helping him. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know how he managed to do that.

Shindou was anxious that Sai was going to tell the truth, because he wasn’t ready to let another person know about their history together. Just Akira was enough. Shindou made a promise to him, and he wanted to honour it. However, he made no such promise with Ogata and frankly, the man could live without knowing anything. He should be happy that Sai spent time with him. So, he was glad when his teacher decided to shake his head.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can tell you just yet.” Sai gave Ogata a small apologetic smile after thinking twice about how Shindou would react. The boy certainly wouldn’t too pleased.

The bespectacled male gauged his next approach but decided to give in. It would be impolite for him to try and coax a response when Sai was so helpless. Although he wanted to hear the truth at last, he decided that he would have plenty of other chances to question the two about it. Besides, he already had the chance to freely play against the legend that he had been chasing for years and for now, that would suffice.

“That’s a shame.” Ogata finally muttered before he got to his feet and eyed Shindou, who seemed to be taken aback by his reaction. “Well, I hope you’ll feel better, Sai.” The Judan turned around to leave but not without saying his farewell. “I look forward to our match, Shindou.”

“You’ll regret forfeiting.” Replied the boy confidently, which was replied with a dark chuckle from Ogata before he strolled out with one hand in his pocket.

For the next few days that Sai received treatment in the hospital, Shindou watched a bunch of people he didn’t recognise, young and older walking in and out of the room. Sai however, knew every single one of their names off by heart and eventually, he caught on that they were the people who took the pro exam when Sai did. All of them seemed to be extremely taken by Sai judging by the way they bombarded the professional with a million questions regarding his condition. After the first day of mayhem, Shindou decided to have the last two hours as a private visitor session that only allowed Akira and Ogata along with him. They always end the visiting hour with far too many donuts, fruits and flowers that they shared. Sai was a big fan of sweets as he would constantly finish off the most chocolatey donut he could possibly get. Shindou was a lover of the peanut covered ones while Akira preferring jelly-filled one, something that Shindou loved to laugh at.

“Jelly-filled donuts are _not_ for children!” Akira snarled as he took yet another one out of the box. They still had three more dozens to get through.

“It so is!” Shindou cracked up at his rival’s beet red face, just as red as the strawberry jam oozing out of the fried bread. He finished off what was left of his chunky peanut donuts and licked his hands before scouring over the many choices laid out in front of him. This time, his hand hovered over a cinnamon one, but stopped short after feeling a murderous intent radiating from somewhere inside the room. When he tilted his head upwards, he saw Ogata death-glaring him with a half-finished cinnamon donut in his hand.

“What? There’s like 3 more!” The boy exclaimed defensively and inspected the boxes to see that he was gravely wrong. Somehow, some way, Ogata managed to steal and finish three donuts of the same flavour, leaving only one left. “You ate all of them!” Curling his lips, Shindou now focused his attention on a raspberry one. This time, Akira was the one who glared at him. “You have fun with your kid donut.”

“It is not for children!” His rival argued, raising his voice.

“It _totally_ is.” Shindou exclaimed just as loud.

With the two locked in a glaring competition, Sai sighed half in resignation, half in amusement and smiled at Ogata. “Seiji.” He muttered softly, and the addressed male immediately snatched the last raspberry donut from the box and took a large bite.

“OGATA!” Shindou’s jaw dropped when he witnessed the betrayal. “You two are conspiring against me!” Accused the boy with bleached bangs.

Just as Akira was about to tell Shindou that he deserved it, they could hear the door being opened behind them before a voice started. “Shindou-kun? May I have a word with you?” The expression on his face was mildly restless as they made their way outside, leaving the three in the dark.

“We received the test result yesterday, but I thought I should read through it once more before telling you.” He started with a frown, something that made Shindou’s heart picked up in pace. “This is the first time I’ve seen this type of illness.”

“W-what is it?” The boy stuttered, feeling a little agitated himself as he fisted the fabric of his pants.

“Fujiwara-san’s body is not working like it’s supposed to.” He started. “His haemoglobin seems normal, yet they are unable to effectively transfer oxygen. His liver and intestine are also in perfect condition, but somehow his body is unable to absorb any nutrition from his food. From what report I gathered, Fujiwara-san is severely malnourished.” The doctor eyed the clipboard on his hand. “As for throwing up blood, most likely that it’s gastritis due to weak immune system. It also causes vitamin deficiencies, which matches perfectly with his condition at present.”

Shindou bit his lower lips, hard enough that he could taste the tinge of metal on his tongue. “Is—” He choked out, voice raspy and broken. “Is he gonna be okay?”

The doctor inhaled softly. “As I’ve told you before, gastritis is generally not life threatening, but at this point, I insist that Fujiwara-san remains in the hospital until we feel that it’s safe.”

“Okay.” The boy muttered under his breath, trying his hardest to stay calm despite digging his fingernails into his palm. He took a deep breath as the doctor left before walking back into the room. Ogata and Akira looked at him questioningly but he casted his sight away from them and directed it towards Sai.

“Hikaru?” The male started, the worry plastered in his voice.

“Uhm,” He scratched the back of his head nervously. “The doctor said that you should stay here until they figure things out.”

Akira shut his eyes for a few moments before standing up and gazed at his rival, whose fingers balled into fists, trembling lightly. He could sense that the boy was about to self-destruct at the thought of Sai being kept away from him when they were still unsure what had befallen the man. He approached Shindou and took one of his hands, forcibly pulling him away from the spot he was standing at.

“Touya, what are you doing?” Shindou struggled, attempting to free his hand but to no avail as his rival tightened his grip even harder.

Akira turned around and stared at the other young professional unwaveringly. “We’re leaving.” He stated firmly, tugging his rival’s hand and practically dragged him out of the room. “Be well, Fujiwara-sensei.” Akira remarked before disappearing with Shindou screaming at the boy to let go of him.

Ogata blinked at the doorway, trying to figure out what exactly prompted Akira to rip Shindou apart from Sai. If it was him, he would let the boy remain as it seemed to calm Sai down and frankly, it was probably the better idea. Sai had seen better days, and so had Shindou.

The long-haired male resisted the urge to call after his student as he understood that the separation was necessary. Akira was sharp enough to see that at the moment, both of them really needed a break from each other. Shindou, far too horrified at the thought of losing Sai once more was driven into a breaking point at the news of his teacher’s health. Sai, not wanting to see the grief in his student’s face drained himself out at the constant look of anxiety directed at him. They were trapped in an endless loop of wanting to hold onto each other and it was detrimental for their mental health.

“This is fine.” Sai forced a smile to bloom on his lips, as half-hearted as it might be. It was relieving to have a third party in their tragic and messed up story.

Ogata stood up and walked closer towards the male who eased himself on the bed. For once, leaning against the pillow. He gave Sai a warm look, as if silently telling him that he was there for him. He wasn’t Shindou, but he hoped that his presence was sufficient. Ogata had never been one for affection, but there was something about Sai that flicked his switch. The man was always so vibrant, like a breath of fresh air in Ogata’s asphyxiating life, but he could somewhat see the loneliness behind the mask he put on. It was as if he had lived for a thousand years without contact from the outside world and only Shindou could sate him. For the first time in a while, Ogata would gladly admit that he cared about someone.

Ogata could only wish that one day, Sai would trust him with his story.

“Seiji.” Sai closed his eyes, feeling the warm summer breeze blowing through the open window. The bespectacled male looked up as he sat on the chair closest to the younger male, saying nothing but merely gazed at him with warm eyes. “Can I hold your hand?”

Unblinkling, the Judan leaned forward, rested one arm on his lap and extended the other. “Of course.”

.

“Let go! Touya!” Shindou struggled against the boy’s surprisingly firm grip. Akira tried his hardest to not let Shindou’s frail and hoarse voice to faze him, as challenging as it proved to be. The 3-dan was on the verge of tears when they finally exited the hospital and it made Akira’s heart ache. Shindou never once had such a frightened look on him. The boy had always been a bright ray of sunshine in his life, always so outspoken, bright and optimistic. It pained him to see how dishevelled he was.

“Shindou!” Akira clenched his rival’s shoulder tightly and it proved to be effective as he stopped trying to wriggle out of his grip. “I know how much you love Fujiwara-sensei, but it’s doing you more damage than good.”

“You don’t understand!” Shindou croaked, this time his eyes started to glimmer. “I can’t lose him again. I can’t!”

“I won’t claim to understand.” The calmer one between the two said sharply as he tried to not let Shindou to affect his ground. “Can’t you see? You two are slowly suffocating each other and it’s _destroying_ you. There is nothing you can do to cure whatever it is that Fujiwara-sensei is suffering from and that feeling of helplessness is tearing you apart.”

At the bull’s eye that Akira hit, Shindou could only manage a small sniffle as he wiped his eyes and pursed his lips together.

The silence prompted the 5-dan to continue. “Fujiwara-sensei cherishes you. I can tell that he doesn’t want to see you like this. The best thing you can do is to at least give him some breathing space. God knows you need one too.”

“But it hurts, Touya.” Mumbled the boy as he clenched the left side of his chest, scrunching up his clothes in process. He breathed through his gritted teeth, eyes looking down at the concrete ground. “You have no idea how tough it was, trying to deal with the mark he left, _alone_. I don’t want that to happen again. It would tear me apart.”

Akira could offer nothing but a gloomy look as he gently placed his hand on Shindou’s back in an attempt to comfort the shaken boy. He truly wished he could empathise with his rival, but he had never gone through the hardship that he had. Any advice he could give would be inadequate and worthless, so he remained silent. He only hoped that he could at least gather Shindou’s broken pieces and help him put them back together, somehow. He wasn’t Sai, and he wouldn’t dream of being given the same attention that Shindou gave his teacher, but he hoped that he was the second person Shindou could come to when he felt powerless.

Shindou inhaled deeply, failing miserably to hold back his tears and he sobbed.

“Let’s play a game, shall we?” One of the young prodigies smiled softly as he pressed Shindou’s back to encourage him to take a step forward.

The boy with bleached bangs sniffed and he wiped his eyes using his sleeves before nodding weakly and feebly murmured under his breath,

“Okay.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am deceased... Papa Ogata, mama Sai and their problematic sons Hikaru and Akira. I have been finished off by the thought /o\ honestly I can't draw Akira LMAO I hate drawing this kind of hair the most.
> 
>  **On Akira:** I should make it clear that I'm still not used to writing Akira's personality, so I do apologise if it's a bit odd. Perhaps it's also part of the reason why he's not as prominent in this fanfiction than how I'd like it to be. Hopefully I will get the gist of his character very soon! The last thing I want to do is make anyone seem out of character.
> 
>  **On Ogata:** You probably can tell just how comfortable I am with playing with Ogata's personality ❤_(:3 」∠)_ In my head, he's the type of dude who indulges in dark jokes and love riling Hikaru up, and just an absolute sweetheart once he gives a shit about someone.
> 
>  **On Sai:** If you look closely, there's always something that happens before Sai's next episode of illness. Kudos if you can guess what. Sai wanting to hold Ogata's hand is more of a need of reassurance that he's still very much alive! This is probably why he's very toucy with Hikaru too. In case you guys are wondering.
> 
> I'm thinking of extending the chapter length from 5-6k to 10k. What do you guys think? I think it's better to release a longer chap?  
> Thanks a lot for your support thus far <3 wouldn't have written this much without your supportive kudos, bookmarks and comments. Please do look forward to more! Next chapter will be the final match for Hikaru and Ogata, and Sai's shin-shodan opponent will be revealed!


	12. Ko Threat

Mitsuko glanced into the dining room from the living, particularly at the discarded copy of last week’s edition of Go Weekly on the dinner table along with his son’s untouched food. Sighing in resignation, she turned her head once more towards the television, currently showing a game of baseball that her husband Masao had been focusing on for the past thirty minutes or so.

The two was already used to their son locking himself in his room before a particularly important match, although most of the time he would come down at least for dinner. Seeing how there had been complete and utter silence aside from low chitter chatter escaping from his room, they could only assume that it must be an excruciatingly critical game he had tomorrow, Especially how Shindou brought home a fellow professional, Akira for the past three days. The boy was his age but a lot politer compared to Shindou. Mitsuko started to wonder how he didn’t take after Akira’s impeccable manner, Sai’s stunning elegance or Ogata’s cool stoicity if he spent as much time with them as he claimed. Even his other two friends Waya and Isumi had been total pleasure to have. How they handled her son, she wasn’t sure.

She had to admit though that he indeed had grown up a little comparing to a few years ago. He had more patience at explaining how his career worked and how he was doing even before Sai moved into their house. However, no doubt that the man had been the catalyst of such welcome improvement in his manners.

“What did Hikaru say tomorrow is again?” Mitsuko queried as she moved her hands over the ironing board and sprayed Shindou’s blue shirt that he said he wanted to wear for his match.

Masao hummed as the screen transitioned to a commercial break. “Wasn’t it his final Gosei match? I heard his opponent forfeited last time because Hikaru couldn’t turn up.”

“Ogata-san did?” Mitsuko blinked at that statement. If it was her, she would gladly accept her default win, but perhaps it was some sort of professional ego that she would never understand. Thinking of the professional, she was suddenly reminded of Sai whose absence had been worrisome for Mitsuko. “I wonder if Fujiwara-kun is okay...” Her expression immediately soured at the thought. She knew that his hospitalisation had been particularly harsh on her son as he wouldn’t finish any of his dinner lately. He would eat half before sighing and retreating to his room with a sigh. Frankly, she missed Sai’s chirpy presence too even though he wasn’t around as much anymore now that he passed his professional exam.

“Hikaru really should eat something.” The husband muttered as he took a sip of the cold bottle of beer on his hand. “Do we have any snacks we can give them?”

“There’s some fruits in the fridge. I’ll take it to them.” Mitsuko quickly came to a stand after ensuring that the iron was neatly placed upright on its correct position. She really didn’t want to intrude on the two because even during a normal day when her son was playing with Sai, they wouldn’t notice her presence in the slightest. It was a little unnerving to see the sheer amount of focus they always displayed and it made her wonder if everyone else always play like that or that her son was a special case of insane.

The first thing she saw when she entered the room was how both Shindou and Akira were staring at the board with their lips pursed tightly, fingers placed on their chins that exhibited how deep in contemplation they both were. It never failed to amaze her how Shindou, who seemingly had no motivation to do anything now was absorbed in a whole new world that she couldn’t even dream of touching, At the same time, it also warmed her heart to see that Shindou was accompanied by wonderful friends who wouldn’t let his fire die. She allowed a smile to grace her lips as she marvelled at the two teenagers, far too mature for their age.

“There’s...” The 3-dan trailed off, this time leaning back with his hand planted firmly on the ground as a support and the other scratching the back of his head. “There’s literally nothing black can do at this point. He lost the ko fight and he can’t make two eyes.”

“Ichiryuu-sensei played the best possible move on the board, but it wasn’t enough.” Akira murmured as he placed a stone on the board. “He was completely outplayed.” Akira’s eyes darted towards Shindou who seemed a little taken aback by how dominating of a performance Ogata put on that day. He was only one victory away from winning the Meijin title. “Shindou, you know what this means, right?”

The addressed male nodded thoughtfully. “The moment he cages even one group in the corner, the game is lost.”

Akira gave him a look of agreement as they silently cleared the board, completely unaware of Mitsuko who left the plate of fruits next to them before leaving a few seconds ago.

“You also have to play for influence, Shindou.” The 5-dan murmured as he placed a black stone on the board. “If Ogata-san manage to cut you up, you will have no chance of setting your traps.”

“I know that.” Shindou muttered as he answered Akira’s hand.

For the past three days, they spent all nights together in order to prepare Shindou for his final Gosei match tomorrow. Akira had been adamant that Shindou would be kept separated from Sai until everything was over and done with. The only updates regarding his health was through Ogata who he gathered had been joined at the hips with Shindou’s teacher. It left a rather unpleasant taste on the 3-dan’s tongue. It was likely that he was getting stronger by the second, especially under Sai’s masterful hands. Frankly, it made him a little nervous.

Of course, Shindou wasn’t completely without help as Akira had proved to be an amazing company. He knew Ogata’s style inside out and he was able to go through his games and explain to Shindou the possible thoughts that turned the gears behind his calculated moves. Without a doubt, it would provide him with an edge, as insignificant as it might be. Shindou needed all the advantages that he could use in his game if he wanted to win because even though he won once, he knew that Ogata was more experienced than he was. In Go, even the weaker can beat the more skillful sometimes.

“Shindou,” His rival started as he dipped his fingers inside the go-ke to retrieve a stone. “Can you tell me what Fujiwara-sensei was like when he was...”

“A spirit.” Shindou finished, distracted from his train of thought. “To be honest, I still find it hard to believe that you believe in this wacky story that just happens to be true.” He chuckled.

“Hey, you’re not the only one. I just hope this isn’t some elaborate joke.” The clacking noise continued inside the otherwise silent room as they proceeded further into the game. Akira’s sharp eyes tried to discern between a mediocre move and a trap as he did so. It was getting increasingly harder to tell the two apart.

“I would never joke about Sai.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I wouldn’t have thought so.” And it was true. Shindou’s love for his teacher was so blindingly enormous that he couldn’t even bring himself to not trust him for one second. It was evident just how much the two had gone through together in the short span of two years.

At that, Shindou let chuckles escape from his throat. “Sai’s always been so childish and naggy. I guess that’s a good thing sometimes, because he got me into Go.” His voice softened as he recalled how they met and his strong disinterest to the game he grew up to love with all his soul. Sometimes Shindou didn’t understand what his younger self was going on about when he babbled about the ‘old man’s game’. “Oh, don’t tell anyone, but I aced my social studies test because he told me all the answers.”

"You _what_?" Akira glowered in distaste at the confession.

"That was when I was 12! Don't look at me like that." Shindou quickly rose at the tone that he received. "Anyways, he was a real pain in the ass. Remember my Shin-shodan against your dad? Sai insisted that he played. I thought it'd be weird if I win, so I told him to play under 15 moku handicap."

"No wonder your hands were strange." The boy mused, remembering how fantastically his rival had lost that day. "The upcoming Shin-shodan matchup will be announced tomorrow. It's a shame that Fujiwara-sensei won't be able to play father."

Shindou pursed his lips at the realisation, hardly trying to supress disappointment from creeping up into his eyes. His fingers hovered over the wooden board tentatively before finding a spot to slam the stone onto. "He's an honorary Meijin. That should count as something, right? Maybe they can make an exception? I mean the whole goddamn world is practically begging for it."

Never been the one to question rules and officials, Akira merely shrugged all while keeping his eyes fixed on the board. "I've never heard of any 'exceptions' being made, but that's most likely because no retired players ever volunteered."

"Well, they should. Because as of a few hours ago, there's a total of 459 comments in NetGo forum under Sai's upcoming Shin-shodan thread, mostly just people begging that Touya-sensei be his opponent. They cumulatively said that they will pretend that the reverse komi isn't even a thing."

Akira only hummed in response as he gauged the effectiveness of his next move. It certainly would be a sight to see if his father and Sai ever had their rematch even though it was a Shin-shodan one. The world could really learn from the two respected Go masters, and he considered himself fortunate to live in the same era as them. It was thanks to Shindou that Sai was able to be reborn. The gods must’ve seen something special resonating from the boy, an ocean of untapped potential that lied dormant, patiently waiting to be awakened. Akira was thankful that they sent the best teacher the world could ever ask for.

“Oh, where did this come from?” Shindou blinked when he saw cubes of neatly cut up oranges and watermelons next to them before leaning forward to pop one in his mouth.

Akira smiled when he realised that Shindou hadn’t been as agitated as he was a couple of days ago. If anything, he seemed like he was back to his usual self and it was relieving to see. The guilt that he would feel if Shindou couldn’t get it together and lose tomorrow’s important match would be overwhelming, but he was willing to bet on it for his rival’s—friend’s sake.

Their game continued until it was late and despite Akira getting the better of Shindou this time, he knew that the boy hadn’t given it his all. The pressure from his rather relaxed hands were still there, leaving dents in his defences but they weren’t what he couldn’t handle. That night, neither male screamed at the other for being too lax as they indulged in each other’s company, just for _one_ night.

.

Sai looked out of the windows and towards the starry night sky although his mind was not processing the stunning sight, not even the presence of the full moon that he had always loved to gaze at from his room inside the palace could deter him. His ears were ringing deafeningly loud in the too-silent room as he counted from one to three in his head repeatedly, an attempt to calm himself down.

“I’m here.” He murmured under his breath, eyes shaking even though he tried his best to shut them tightly.

“I’m alive.” Said the male once again as he ran his fingers over the smooth texture of the blanket and feeling the cold metal of the bed’s headrest. There was warmth, there was a tinge of coolness.

“I’m real.” Sai inhaled sharply and felt his chest heaving up and down as he breathed out air, a sensation that he couldn’t feel when he was a spirit. It was enough for him as his heartbeat finally slowing down. However, he kept his eyes shut firmly.

It had been six days since his first day of hospitalisation and three since he saw or heard from Shindou last. Sai knew that Akira had planned to keep them apart, but he didn’t think that he was going to keep the boy busy for three whole days. Honestly, it felt a little odd to not have his student accompanying him in the hospital after all those times he spent with him. Sai missed his presence and despite wanting to see him and hear his voice, he knew that it really was for the best. They had to try to live without each other if they wanted any hope of moving forward.

Sai didn’t know that his return would cause so much trouble for Shindou and he felt a little guilty for affecting his life negatively like that after the boy almost moved on with his life. Was it really for the best that the gods granted his wish? He could only hope that he wouldn’t cause Shindou any more inconvenience than he already did. However, he knew deep down that he loved every form of attention and possessiveness that his student displayed—how he would scoff when he’d hung out with Ogata too much, how he’d glare at anyone who asked Sai for a match and how he crossed his arms in frustration when his fellow pro-exam contestants barged into the room uninvited. It convinced Sai felt that he _exists_ and he couldn’t help but relishing every second of it. It was something that made Sai felt filthy and although he would do anything to wash himself off such selfish thoughts, he found that he was chained.

Exhaling dolefully, Sai finally opened his eyes only to jolt on his bed and almost screamed when he saw a figure near the door, arms crossed.

“Seiji! You frightened me.” The long-haired male placed one of his hands on his chest, feeling that it was beating rapidly. “Visiting hour is over, isn’t it?”

“It is, but only for the unresourceful.” Ogata shrugged as he walked towards Sai and sat on the chair closest to him. The glow from the beside light casted shadows over Sai’s pale and slim jaw structure and it made the concern resurface in Ogata’s mind. “Are you feeling better?” He muttered softly and watched how the other male’s hand tentatively moved from over the blanket to the free space next to him.

When he felt the welcomed warmth of Ogata’s palm on his, Sai sighed in relief. “Yes.” _He’s here. He’s alive. He’s real._ “Shouldn’t you be preparing for tomorrow’s match?”

The Judan shrugged nonchalantly as he dragged his seat forward, closer. “I’ve done as much as I can.” And he really did, even though he surprisingly didn’t ask for even one game against Sai. He wanted to see just how much he could do against Shindou as he was.

And, it was something that he would never admit in a hundred years but being with Sai never ceased to bring him some degree of comfort. There was something soothing about his voice and the way his eyes lingered at him when he talked, and even when he wasn’t. “Besides, I thought you might be lonely.” He smirked mockingly, something that was usually only reserved when he wanted to rile Shindou up.

However, it seemed to be ineffective as Sai merely giggled and didn’t even try to deny it. There was nothing to deny, after all. Shindou had always been a noisy one, and they would spend all night talking to each other. Three days without the boy had been a lonely one for Sai. He had no shortage of visitors during the evening, but he came to enjoy Ogata’s presence the most. When he was there, he didn’t say anything but only watched how everyone crowded Sai. However, when Sai would feel a little overwhelmed, he had to only glance at Ogata, and the man would _immediately_ get to his feet and stare everyone down until they give Sai some space. After watching over Shindou for so long, it was placating to be the one to be looked after.

“You know, Seiji.” Sai started, a sincere smile blooming on his thin lips. “Aside from Hikaru, I never really imagined that you, of all people, would be the one I feel the most comfortable conversing with.”

Ogata raised one of his eyebrows. His first encounter with Sai had been a little ill-mannered on his side, he had to admit, but he didn’t recall himself acting too over the top. He hadn’t kidnapped him or forced him to play a game or anything like that. The man seemed to be eager enough. “Did Shindou talked that poorly of me?”

“Oh,” The long-haired male realised that they were yet to be on the same page. Feeling a little bad for keeping a secret from him, Sai only managed to say, “I have watched you longer than you have watched me, Seiji.”

“I’m… flattered?” He responded, uncertainty clear in his voice. Sai hadn’t exactly been the most secretive individual that he had ever encountered, as he would sometimes blurt out a hint regarding his story, however vague as they might be. He was still trying to piece everything in his head, but nothing made sense.

Sai: a man who only played NetGo back then; a man who claimed that mechanical transportation was a foreign concept to him; a man whose only known connection was Shindou; the one who appeared out of thin air, taking everyone by surprise; a man who had no identification or birth certificate; a man who seemed to be starved of physical affection through the way his fingers clung tightly onto his hand; a man who kept trying to convince himself that he was there, alive and real; and most importantly, someone who was only 25 years old but played Go with the experience of a being who had existed for hundreds of, even a thousand years

Ogata wasn’t sure if he wanted to decipher Sai. The deeper he tried to comprehend the mystery, the further he fell into the rabbit hole. At that point, he almost admitted that he was rather afraid to learn the truth of Sai’s real identity.

“I promise that I will tell you in time.” The long-haired male spoke softly as he clenched his fingers around Ogata’s hand a little tighter as a gesture of reassurance.

The Judan nodded, not wanting to pry into something that he obviously had no place in. Just the promise of ‘one day’ would be sufficient for now. He had been a little forceful on Shindou a few years ago but if the boy was merely trying to protect a man who was not strong enough to wander on his own, then Ogata should be the one to be ashamed of his actions.

“You should get some rest.” He exhaled lightly and rotated the chair under his weight, so he was sitting parallel to Sai before flipping open the book he brought along with him as a sign that he wasn’t about to leave any time soon.

Sai found himself smiling at the obvious gesture of affection displayed by the usually cold male next to him. Silently wondering the reason why he always kept such amiable attitude under a mask, Sai closed his eyes and drifted to sleep only with the scrapping noise of paper as a lullaby, and the warmth of Ogata’s hand around his convincing him that his time was not yet at an end.

.

When Shindou arrived at the institute an hour early to his Gosei match, he was shocked to see Sai emerging out of Ogata’s red sports car. The bespectacled male quickly closed the door on the driver’s side to approach Sai and helped him to remove the metal pole that handled his IV drip out of the car and placed it upright on the ground.

It was like a cosmic joke. He spent all night trying to calm himself down at the thought that Sai hadn’t been there to help him along with his endeavour to take the Gosei title. Instead, he had been spending time with his opponent instead and had most likely aided him. Just when felt focus starting to settle in his mind, the sight that greeted him first thing in the morning completely shattered it.

_Sai is mine._

The boy with bleached bang chanted in his head as he glared at Ogata. He, of all people, didn’t deserve Sai’s attention and certainly not his teachings. All he did back then was invade Shindou’s personal bubble, continuously insisting for a game that he wasn’t about to get. Sai should’ve seen just how terrifyingly inconsiderate the Judan could be, yet why was he acting so friendly with the man who had pushed his student around? What did he see in Ogata?

“Shindou.” Akira nudged him on the shoulder, foiling Shindou’s plan to walk over to Ogata and start beating him to death. “Let’s go.” Said the boy firmly before firmly gripping Shindou’s wrist and practically dragged him into the Institution.

“But—“ The boy extended his arm as if it would put him any closer to his teacher, but quickly resigned and let himself be pulled by his rival. “Are you in a cahoots with Ogata so we don’t see each other?” Accused Shindou, pouting.

Akira exhaled as they entered the elevator and watched the doors closing before them. “It’s for your own good.”

“But I could’ve prepared more if I had Sai with me. It might be the difference between winning and losing.” Shindou justified his negativity, feeling the vibration that resulted from their ascension. “But now Ogata had Sai all to himself. It’ll put me at a disadvantage.” Even though he tried his hardest to hide it, Shindou couldn’t deny that there was a mountain that was waiting for him. If Ogata alone was a tall order to surpass, he wasn’t sure if he could overcome the towering obstacle that was Ogata _and_ Sai.

Noticing how his friend’s brows seemed to scrunch, as if deep in thought, the boy spoke. “Just don’t think about it, Shindou. You have to focus.” Akira muttered sharply as they walked out of the elevator. “Besides, Ogata-san told me that he wanted to see how much he’d fare against you without Fujiwara-sensei's help, so you don’t have to worry about it. And besides…” Touya trailed off before stopping in his track to turn around and face Shindou. “Don’t you also want to know what you can do without his help?”

Shindou’s eyes widened at the simple rhetorical question and he felt his heartbeat picked up momentarily. It was a chance for him to prove to his teacher just what feat he could achieve by himself, to show that he could stand up on his own two feet. It wasn’t about the victory. Shindou had to come into terms that Sai wouldn’t be satisfied with success story alone. With him, it was all about what either the winner and the loser could take home from their game and incorporate those lessons into their future matches. Sai cared not for a trivial matter of victory.

For a second, the fog in his mind cleared up and his focus slowly sharpened. He pursed his lips and clenched his fingers into a fist as he felt himself tremble, not with fear anymore, but with excitement of what to come. A game against a strong opponent, a chance to show Sai what he was made of. It numbed Shindou’s nerve completely until he could feel nothing but fire setting the very core of his being aflame.

“Thank you, Touya.” Shindou muttered under his breath, lips forming into a smirk as his eyes overtaken by anticipation. Such look did not miss Akira’s keen eyes, as the boy nodded firmly and smiled at his rival, who turned around and walked off with determination that stemmed from his love for the game, and not for his thirst of triumph. If Sai could evoke the same emotion from Ogata, then everyone should behold as the game that was about to unfold was going to be a game to be remembered.

Touya turned his back to take the stairs downstairs towards the viewing room. As he left the area, the elevator dinged, signifying that the doors were about to open. When they did slide outwards, Ogata stepped outside accompanied with Sai who had his slender fingers wrapped around the cold metal pole that was his IV drip. Both of them were completely silent as Ogata narrowed his eyes and clicked his thumb and index fingernails against each other inside his pocket.

He was a man on a mission. He had to win against Shindou, defend his title and put the boy back in his place. Ogata had always been competitive and even though he always admit defeat honourably, it never ceased to leave a bitter aftertaste. There was fear residing deep down in his heart that the younger wave would soon overtake him, and it was a notion that never failed to quicken his heartbeat. More than Touya, Shindou was a threat to him and he had to prove that he was the superior player between the two.

Sai noticed the aura radiating from the man next to him, how the envy and anxiety joined together to form a darkened façade. He had lived for a thousand years to understand that such deadly combination was the number one cause for one’s undoing. It seemed that Ogata was no stranger to the feeling and Sai found himself face-to-face with someone who wanted nothing less than a victory, unlike the Ogata that he was accustomed to. The man was trying to prove something to himself, and it wasn’t the right motive to feed his fire with. Sai honestly didn’t want to intrude in the match and both players’ mentality, but he knew that if Ogata did self-destruct during the match due to his thirst for that one win, it would be excruciatingly hard for him to recover from.

The male stopped short on his track, but Ogata didn’t seem to notice it as he continued moving forward, heart thumping loudly in his chest.

“Don’t let him set up his traps and annihilate his influence. Keep him in the corner. I have to win.” The male murmured under his breath, inaudible to anyone but himself.

“Seiji.”

That one little word immediately snapped him out of his thoughts and he felt himself gradually relaxing. He wasn’t entirely sure how Sai managed to ease him up just by saying his name out loud. There was something truly calming about his voice.

Ogata turned around to see Sai with a melancholic look on his pale face, as if he had already lost the match.

“Bare your fangs before of Hikaru like you did me.” The slim male softly said, lips blooming into a small smile of encouragement. “I want to see glimmer of the true form of your Go.”

Ogata’s breathe hitched in his throat as he listened to Sai’s simple statement—no, advice. The man obviously understood just how important victory was for him in this match and used his subtle encouragement to douse it. Sai wanted Ogata to approach the game with the determination to hone the one aspect of his Go that he had always put in the backburner: creativity.

Ogata wondered when he stopped playing due to his love for the game and instead for the glory.

It wasn’t about victory. It never was.

“Hmph,” He gave Sai a small smirk before turning away and walked off, this time fuelled with the resolve to play his new hand.

The long-haired male knew that his message had gotten through. Satisfied, he made his way into the viewing room where a few people had already gathered in anticipation. He could see Waya, Isumi, the Honinbo, the Kisei and—

Sai stopped in his track when he realised who he suddenly came face to face with.

“Good morning, Fujiwara-sensei.” Touya greeted next to his son. He had his usual brown kimono on and he had his arms crossed as they exchanged glance.

“And to you, Touya-sensei.” Sai moved forward and sat on his opposite side, their eyes lingered on each other, driving the room completely silent at the sight of the former Meijin and the internet legend sitting face to face. They were not the ones who were about to play yet it seemed as if they were prepared to nigiri at a moment’s notice.

“Congratulations for making it through the exam.” Touya started, breaking the nerve that suffocated everyone present.

Eyes still locked, Sai found himself gripping his IV drip tighter than he ever did before. “Thank you.”

Akira watched the two, completely unmoving. It was incredibly hard to breathe around the two and the intimidating aura that seemed to ready themselves for an all-out battle. He could only imagine what the situation would be like once they do have the long-awaited rematch.

“Round five of Gosei title match. The score is 2-2. Ogata Seiji Judan Gosei, Shindou Hikaru 3-dan. Please nigiri.” Came the voice from the television, a welcome distraction as everyone now focused their eyes on the screen. “Ogata Seiji will be white, and Shindou Hikaru will be black. Time limit is 8 hours with 1 minute byo-yomi, komi is 6.5.”

Sai straightened his back, placing both of his hands neatly on his lap as the room nervously waited for the first move to be made.

 _“Slow and steady, Hikaru.”_ The male whispered inside his head as he watched one minute quickly coming to a pass before Shindou’s hand finally hovered over the board to play an opening move that most shied away from.

“A start on mokuhazushi?” Waya mulled and leaned back on his chair. Shindou had never played that before, as far as he was concerned. Unlike the brunette, however, Akira softly nodded in favour of the bold opening that some disliked. It was clear that Shindou was trying to exert his influence towards the centre while somewhat trying to protect his corner. Against Ogata and to stay true to his style, he didn’t have the luxury of playing a territorial Go unless he wanted to be torn to shreds by the man’s sharp claws.

 _“Komoku for Seiji.”_ Sai mulled, understanding that Ogata was well aware of Shindou’s strength. He wanted to creep to the centre too and cut up the boy’s influence before the timebomb had any chance to tick. Ogata’s go was changing for the better, that was for sure, but he was not at a level where he could comfortably play his new hands. Shindou was inarguably the worst opponent he could ever face as he had no means of defending himself against the boy’s jarring fangs.

“Kakari already, huh?” Isumi placed his fingers on his chin thoughtfully, seeing how black was trying to build a base of his own on the bottom. It was the right idea since it would be impossible to win without having at least _some_ corner points of your own. Ogata answered the approach with a high pincer before Shindou responded with another mokuhazushi that plastered frowns on everyone’s faces. One was enough, but two? The boy was clearly playing for influence while having little to no regard for anything else. Whether it was a good move or not remained to be seen.

As expected, the two players took their time to establish the beginning of the game as it would dictate how the rest of the match would unfold. At the moment, it was off to a very peculiar start as it almost seemed like Shindou was trying to make the fight harder for himself by letting yet another stone to be pincered by Ogata, resulting in a nice base for white on the middle-bottom, but only a whole world of problem for black which was almost completely surrounded. Expectedly enough, Ogata’s pincer was responded by a counter-pincer that forced white to retreat towards the centre, but slowly enveloping Shindou’s one lone black stone on the bottom left.

However, trying to kill the stone would be counter-productive so early on in the game. It would only result in a larger centre influence for Shindou, something that Ogata couldn’t afford to deal with. Sai started to dip his fingers inside the go-ke and replicated the moves on the screen. He was promptly aided by the honorary Meijin who placed Ogata’s moves along with black.

“Looks like Ogata-sensei is gaining strength up there.” Waya thought out loud after seeing the two stones played by white, “Do you think it’s time to start moving in for the kill?” He asked hesitantly as he moved towards the Go-ban occupied by Touya, Akira and Sai—the power professionals.

“That’s possible.” Sai retorted thoughtfully, playing a hane on Shindou’s lone black stone. “But that just allows Hikaru the luxury of gaining more ground. The better move would be another approach on black’s other mokuhazushi or start forming a base, but keeping Hikaru's playstyle in mind, it’s not the best he can play.” And in a game where anything less than the best would not do, Ogata had to tap into the Go that slowly glistened from his very soul.

 _“Approaching is not enough.”_ The bespectacled male thought as he ran his fingers through his hair to brush his bangs back. _“Shindou’s making a large territory for himself. If I let him do that, I might as well resign.”_ Ogata’s eyes lingered over the 7-4 point contemplatively but quickly shook his head. _“Threatening to cut isn’t going to work. In that case...”_ He finally decided and placed a white stone on the board with a loud clack.

“Ah, a shoulder hit.” Akira tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, not expecting Ogata to play that move at all. Under normal circumstances, the man would most likely build a base to secure a corner for himself. However, it seemed that he was satisfied with what he had on the bottom. It was a fascinating move that took Akira a second to comprehend, but when he did, he understood why Sai had a wide smile.

 _"I'm too low."_ Shindou muttered in his head when he realised that Ogata was trying to completely shut him in, even after his futile request to crawl towards the centre. _"He's not giving me the chance to take the centre at all. If this goes on, I'll be in trouble."_ The boy nibbled on his thumb nail, attempting to come up with a solution. _"Slow and steady."_ A deep breath as to not rush. _"It seems unlikely that I'd be allowed to the centre, knowing Ogata. I can try, but I might risk failing big time. But, maybe I can...”_

"Second line!" Akira frowned when he realised that Shindou gave Ogata what he wanted, which was to cage black in the corner.

"This is getting a little exciting already!" Sai hummed in approval when his student changed his attack plan. Even though he knew the boy's Go inside out, there were times when he wasn't able to read what he was thinking and that moment was one of them. It never ceased to instil a feeling of anticipation inside of him.

 _"What are you gonna do now?"_ The 3-dan glanced at Ogata who had his forehead scrunched together, evidently a little puzzled that Shindou wasn't fighting back against his pressure.

Ogata spent minutes after minutes thinking about his next move, and rightfully so. Any wrong move now would be his undoing. Sai took one short look at the board in front of him and contemplated what he would do if he was in the Gosei’s position.

“Shindou has something in mind, does he not?” Touya started, making everyone’s heads turn towards him. At Sai’s confirming glance, he nodded. “If his entire plan rides on taking the influence, he would never allow Ogata to shut him in like that.”

“It’s as you say.” Sai nodded thoughfully and placed both of his hands on his lap, back still perfectly straight. “The worst thing Seiji can do here is to play right into Hikaru’s hand. I know that Hikaru would never play a baseless move.”

 _“Is it a trap?”_ Ogata adjusted his glasses as he took his time to ponder the situation. _“It’s not like Shindou at all to give something that he wants without a fight.”_ The man couldn’t deny the funny feeling swelling on the bottom of his stomach, but he decided to click his tongue and play another shoulder hit to prevent black from escaping to the centre.

 _“Alright.”_ Shindou nodded to himself when Ogata played the move that he expected and this time, he answered by creating an enclosure on his top right corner.

The battle continued, slowly progressing to the start of midgame. Both players seemed to be extremely wary of each other’s moves as they made their way into the centre. Shindou managed to connect his lone black stone before Ogata could kill it, which resulted in a nice influence for the 3-dan in the centre as Ogata breathe life to white in the corner.

However, as time ticked on, Akira was no longer sure what exactly his rival had in mind, especially after witnessing more territorial moves being played. Although Ogata sure was pushing him around, it was like Shindou wasn’t even trying to fight back. The boy didn’t even _seem_ like he was at all troubled by it. Akira couldn’t spot the telltale split second pause prior to slamming the stone on the board that he would usually display when he felt uncomfortable about the game.

“It seems like Ogata has the upper hand.” Touya murmured as he placed a stone on the board and played out a variation with Sai. “He will lean against Shindou’s strong wall to build his own strength.” As he ended his statement, the lunch break for the players commenced.

“I feel like a storm is coming.” Sai mused, watchinig the rather calm way that Shindou was handling the game even when Ogata clearly had full control of the board. He had to give it up to the Gosei too, for being able to pinpoint Shindou’s playstyle and play around it, just like what he does best. However, if Shindou was being himself, Sai was certain that the boy would have found a way to adapt to such intimidating advantage that Ogata had.

“So, Fujiwara-sensei, I heard rumours that you might be playing Ichiryuu Kisei.” Isumi started when the man in topic had already left the room along with most.

“For my Shin-shodan?” Sai blinked. “That sounds wonderful! Ichiryuu-sensei is a strong player, indeed!” The man’s expression brightened in a split second at the thought. “And who will Nase and Chigusa play?” Asked the man eagerly.

“Wasn’t it Kuwabara-sensei and Ogata-sensei respectively?” Waya replied, then quickly added. “I feel sorry for Nase. I hope she’ll be okay playing against the Honinbou.”

After a few moments of chatter about the previous Shin-shodan, Shindou and Ogata made their way into the Yuugen no Ma once more to resume their match, as focused as they had been from the beginning of the game. When the time was resumed, Shindou immediately attacked Ogata’s cutting stone, not allowing him the luxury of shutting him out anymore.

 _“This is where it begins.”_ Shindou muttered before glancing at his opponent with fire that rivalled his. At the moment, he knew full well that he was at a major disadvantage, and if he didn’t make a move now, he would be ripped apart. _“I have two weak groups that I have to defend. It’s going to be a slippery slope from here on. Any mistakes and I’m gone.”_

Shindou’s next move took him about fifteen minutes to make. The boy wanted to make sure that he read a few moves ahead which honestly, wasn’t too much of an effort. If Ogata’s playstyle hadn’t changed from his usual logical one, he would have a fighting chance. However, if the man suddenly decided to bare his fangs, Shindou knew that he might as well consider this game a lost cause. As Shindou hovered his hand over the board to make his move, he held his breath and kept his fingers crossed so that Ogata would not answer his stone with an out of the ordinary move.

“Brilliant.” Sai whispered under his breath when he saw Shindou’s attempt at squeezing Ogata’s cluster that destroyed his eye potential. There was only one way to prevent his groups from being killed, and he could tell that his student wasn’t about to make even one little mistake.

“Black has breathing space now.” Akira restrained a gasp from choking out of his throat. “Ogata-san can’t cut him there.”

Waya and Isumi looked a little stunned at the revelation and decided to redo the moves that Shindou made, the move that would potentially stabilise the one-sided game. “Ogata-sensei’s shape...” The brunette trailed off at the far-too-heavy wall.

“Hikaru isn’t too much better off either.” Sai started as he pointed at an empty spot on the board that Ogata could take to kill Shindou’s bottom group. Both men nodded in understanding, now seeing how both colours seemed to have shape problems.

“Shindou pulled himself out of the brink of loss.” Touya muttered, not masking the fact that he was impressed. “Even though Ogata is still in an advantage, he has a fighting chance.”

Time ticked on, and the board started to get filled up by the second. The massive lead that Ogata took for himself was still on the board and although Shindou was slowly catching up, it didn’t dismiss the fact that he was behind. Black ran towards the centre in an attempt to prevent white from developing it into a gigantic territory for himself and close the doors on Shindou. No funny keima to jump ahead, both colours played extremely careful diagonal moves as they didn’t want their opponent to cut them off.

Akira released the breath that he didn’t realise he was holding as Shindou finally made a move to form two eyes on the middle-left corner of the board. He was getting a little restless at the cutting point that Ogata could use to atari his stones. One weakness fixed, a lot more to go.

Everyone in the room was silent as they watched Shindou facing the Goliath that was Ogata’s largest influence on the board: the centre. Somehow, someway, the boy had to find a way to live with all those white stones staring at his black ones, ready to draw their swords at a moment’s notice and cut him up into pieces. It was a tall order, finding life in such an unlikely place, but Sai had faith that his student would be able to overcome it.

In the room filled to the brim with audience, only two people knew the fact that _if_ Shindou could form two eyes and live, wouldn’t mean that he would bag a victory immediately. If he didn’t do something to prevent white from taking more territory, the boy would lose by a large margin of approximately 15 moku, as Ogata’s position was still far too powerful. The man played flawless hands with scrutinising insight such that he made Shindou’s middle game a living nightmare.

“This is crazy.” Waya murmured, scratching his head in frustration. “What is Shindou doing? He let Ogata-sensei form such thick wall on the centre. It’s going to be so hard for him.”

“It looks like there’s going to be a bloodbath.” Isumi agreed with the brunette. “At this point, Ogata-sensei can just focus on destroying Shindou’s stones.”

Touya glanced at Sai when he saw the 3-dan’s next move. He let out a small smile as he placed a black stone on the board—Shindou leaned against Ogata’s wall to exert a pressure of his own on the centre-right. The boy was denying white’s life while trying to take some for himself too even though he was effectively delaying himself off the territory in the centre.

“He is remarkable, is he not?” Sai returned the smile with one of his own, chest pushed forward as a sign of pride. After all, Shindou noticed the fact that life in the centre wouldn’t equate to much if he wasn’t able to take way white’s eye space. It could be difficult to see in a match as daunting as this one.

Five hours had elapsed since the beginning of the match, and now everyone in the room was nothing but completely focused on the screen. Discussions buzzed throughout the room, most of them trying to predict how Shindou would be able to make a comeback. However, the difference in points for the time being was far too tilted in white’s favour. Ogata hadn’t make a slip-up anywhere in his play. His hands were solid and certain, exactly how he always played.

Which was exactly why Sai found himself being a little disappointed. The Gosei played an interesting move in the beginning that pushed Shindou down and built a large centre for himself. He managed to keep the momentum going until mid-game where the 3-dan struggled to find a way to make a life outside of his corner. However, Shindou was slowly catching up. He played hands that were unorthodox, unexpected even for Ogata. Sai could start to see just how poorly Ogata handled opponents who play creative moves. Shindou’s hands leave significant dents in the Gosei’s playstyle, and it would be his own downfall if he didn’t start to overlook the obvious answers his logical mind generated.

However, it also showed just how solid Ogata’s Go was. Even against the worst possible matchup for him, he was able to still find such a huge lead and carried it over to the endgame. A smile bloomed on his lips. Sai badly wanted to help sharpen Ogata’s fangs and witness what kind of monster he would be able to unleash back to the world. It was the reason why Sai wanted Ogata to lose. He wanted the man to realise that in Go, logic alone wouldn’t suffice. He could see that Ogata was slowly turning his back on the stoic Go he chased for so long, but he was hesitating.

It was different to the reason why Akira wanted Shindou to win. It wasn’t just because they were a complicated mess of rival-friend. Akira longed for Shindou to open his eyes, to once again realise that a world existed beyond Sai. If the shodan’s health—god forbid, declined, Akira wanted to be sure that Shindou wouldn’t break into pieces and run away like he did last time. Akira wanted to open Shindou’s eyes to the fact that he _could_ live without Sai, that his own two feet were enough to prop him up and carried him to greater heights. For that to happen, Shindou _had_ to win.

“Hm?” Touya widened his eyes when Shindou played a stone on 12-18. “This...”

Everyone in the room gulped after a moment of silence—the significance of the 3-dan’s move finally dawned in their minds. It brought shiver down everyone’s spines when they realise that Shindou was about to turn the table just by that one move alone. A move that took him ten minutes to make.

It crushed Ogata’s hope of making two eyes on the centre-right, a feat that they were certain the Gosei would be able to achieve.

Ogata’s eyes were wide open at that point, realising the gravity of his mistake of not taking that one spot for himself before Shindou could. _“No. I can make an eye still.”_ He gritted his teeth, clenching the go stone so tightly between his thumb and index finger until the underside of his nails turned white. _“I can make an eye. 13-8, 10-19—”_ His heart sank when he played the variation right in front of his eyes. He couldn’t make a second. His group withered before him.

A game that had been utterly and completely in his favour, was now lost. All through _one_ stone alone. Something that he had seen but was too foolish to not exploit.

“I—” He bit his lower lip to prevent a strangled choke from escaping.

Shindou lifted his head up, face to face with Ogata who had a darkened look in his eyes. The boy half-expected the Gosei to snap due to the way he seemed to drill little holes through him.

“You brat.” The Gosei surprised himself when he stifled a chuckle and felt the weight being lifted off his shoulder.

This time, it was Shindou’s turn to let out a breath that he had choked inside of him. Feeling the relief washing over his soul and the fire setting himself ablaze slowly flickered off and laid dormant once more, waiting for another set of wood to light it up.

Ogata bowed his head, this time with no animosity. It was pure, unfiltered respect for his opponent who had won fair and square against him. He was far too weak this time, but he swore to himself to pick up what pieces of lessons he could gather from their match and strengthen himself so that this loss wouldn’t translate to another. Next time, he would certainly win. Next time, he would be the one to take back what title he lost against the 3—no, the _8_ dan, the Gosei in front of him. Shindou Gosei.

 _“Sai...”_ Shindou closed his eyes, a droplet of tear escaped from the corner of his eyes. _“I did it.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm giving Dwyrin full credit for the amazing analysis he did for [Guseki vs Dosaku](https://youtu.be/3Tlf8pEsFV8) match that I used for Shindou vs Ogata.
> 
> Aaaaahahahahahha.... the more I write Ogata, the more in love I am with him. I hope Ogata knows that I love him *gross sobbing*.
> 
> Alrighty, finally a new chappie! Hopefully you guys are happy with it :') Please consider leaving comments/kudos to show me your support so I can keep at it until the very end! I still have plenty in store and I do hope you will stick with me until then :)
> 
> Love you all!


	13. Crane's Nest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH HELL. I didn't mean to publish the chapter. I pressed publish by accident, instead of draft /o\ I was about to read through this chapter tomorrow when my head is clear and empty of junk. It's too late now... ;;;; I'll just make changes as I go.
> 
> Establishing the storyline for the next chapter :) bear with me as I try to not rush too much and give the boys some breathing space from all the tension. Please let silly boys be silly. It's fun to write.

Shindou had been exuberant about his victory against Ogata, and rightfully so. He had all the professionals from all over the world talking and dissecting the game in entirety that only served as a hard proof that Ogata hadn’t slacked off and handed him the victory on a silver platter. The boy had to work damn hard to earn that win and frankly, he was pretty happy with how he performed, and such was the case with Sai who had an ear-to-ear grin and was practically in tears when Shindou was given the green light by Akira to visit him once more.

"I'm so happy with your performance, Hikaru!" The long-haired male sobbed into the sleeves of his pale green hospital gown as he choked the words out. A thin Go-ban was placed atop the wheeled hospital desk, adorned with black and white stones arranged just like how it was yesterday. Next to Sai sat Ogata who looked a little annoyed by the sudden intrusion but somehow managed to not drag the boy outside and close the door on him.

He almost changed his mind when Shindou stuck out his tongue at him mockingly but thankfully Akira managed to slap him on the shoulder for the impolite gesture. Shindou really needed someone to keep him in line or he would be a lost cause.

"Well, now you're here, we might as well discuss the game together." Ogata exhaled, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose before removing a few stones off the board. "I'm having trouble believing it but, did you really plan for all this to happen?"

"Kind of." Shindou shrugged, pushing his hands deep in his pocket as he walked towards the two men. "I was kinda worried because played a weird hand in the beginning. That shoulder hit. That totally threw me off and I thought I wouldn't be able to pull off the trap after you shut me in."

Hearing that, Akira blinked. "You didn't seem nervous at all when I watched you. I..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously at the prospect of being proven that he wasn't as good as reading Shindou as he thought he was. "I assumed that you knew that you'd get pushed in the corner like that."

The 8-dan curled his lips when the memory flooded back. It had been a scary moment for him when Ogata played a hand that he hadn't expected that almost resulted in a disaster. Thankfully he was able to bounce back although it was anything but glorious. "Managed to keep my cool, I guess. Can't let Ogata know that he's got me." The boy shrugged nonchalantly as he dragged a chair.

Akira exhaled but followed suit anyway. It was hard to believe that Shindou now surpassed him in rank, taking 8-dan and the Gosei title to himself. He silently blamed himself for his own powerlessness. Had he not crumble before Morishita, he would've had a fighting chance too. "That last move you played was brilliant." He said, glancing at the one stone on the right middle corner which was the last piece needed to complete Shindou's elaborate trap.

"Right?" The boy grinned mischievously and no one could fault him for being proud of it. Seeing such skill humbled Ogata that he only managed a sigh instead of a smart remark. They ran through the game together and four bright minds proved to be more than enough to talk about it in full.

"Your Shin-shodan opponent should be decided soon now that Gosei tournament is over." The bespectacled man remarked as they removed the stones off the board. "It's a shame that I won't be the one playing you, Sai."

"Do you think his opponent is gonna be me?" Shindou's expression brightened upon realising that he was a title holder too. "Sai, imagine that! Imagine me as your opponent. That'd be cool."

"No offence Shindou, but you are going to get demolished." Akira said dryly, recalling the reverse komi handicap. The boy couldn't even beat Sai in a fair game. He would lose by over 11 moku, most likely, whereas other title holders would stand a better chance.

"Shesh, you're fun at parties." The 8-dan crossed his arms and sneered at his rival. 

"Speaking of parties." Ogata started as he closed the lid of the Go-ke with a soft clack. "I feel that a celebration is in order. Especially after I win the Meijin title."

"But Ogata-san, you haven't—"

"I'm sorry, Touya, I didn't hear a word you said." The man muttered with mirth, leaning back on his chair and crossed his arms with his eyes closed. Akira sighed in exasperation at the fact that Ogata started to treat him as if he was Shindou. He didn't know what to think about the Judan anymore now that he saw his true colour.

"Smug old bastard." Shindou rolled his eyes although he couldn't deny that Ogata really had a good chance of snatching that last win he needed to complete the four wins requirement considering how he had been faring against Ichiryuu the past couple of games. "There will only be a party if Sai can go as well." He mumbled, not wanting to leave his teacher behind.

Sai giggled at the interaction and the obvious display of affection. "Hikaru, the doctor said that I will be free to go in three days."

The boy's eyes sparkled with excitement at that sentence. "Really?" When Sai nodded in delight, he gave him a large grin. "Oh yeah, how did you manage to leave yesterday anyway? I'm surprised they let you."

"I have my ways." Ogata shrugged with a dark expression on his face that made Shindou decide to not pry any further.

Sai smacked the male on the arm for his mischief, shooting him a look of disapproval as he did so. "Shimada-san plays Go too, and he knows how important your match is to me. We only had to ask."

The 8-dan rolled his eyes once more, feeling a little stupid for believing in Ogata. Exhaling softly, he decided to once again address the issue on hand. "Are you feeling better? What did he say?"

The long-haired male smiled at the heartfelt question, especially after seeing that some time apart from each other proved to be effective in mending their obsessive-stricken relationship. After all, the boy seemed like he managed to keep his dismay under control, and no longer agitated by being in the same room with Sai in the hospital. The much appreciated concern was still there, but he wasn't nearly as hysterical as he had been last time. Of course they still had a long way to go before they could stabilise: For Shindou to understand that life is a fickle thing and that what was given to his teacher could be taken away just as easily; for Sai to finally get accustomed to the imperfect new body granted by the gods, a body through which he could watch his student grow. However, at least now they had taken the first step necessary to move forward, together.

Sai nodded in reassurance. He hadn't had any attacks for the past few days aside from a few small ones and he was thankful for that.

"He said that Sai won't need to eat normal food. He only have to compensate for it by using the drip." Replied Ogata, not missing the troubled look on Shindou's face. "At least he's well enough to leave."

"Yeah, yeah." The new Gosei exhaled, trying to be grateful for what little relief he could get. It could be much worse, he thought to himself. At least Sai would be back to his side now and Shindou hoped that the man wouldn't undermine the importance of his health anymore. "Sai, wanna play?"

"Shindou, I was about to ask him to play me!" Akira turned to glare at his rival, followed with Ogata clearing his throat as a sign that he wanted in as well.

Sai was brimming with happiness at the eagerness displayed by the three. He hadn't had the chance to play any of them for a while, especially with both Akira and Hikaru being too preoccupied before the Gosei match. He thought that he would get some games in since Ogata had been accompanying him those three days, but it appeared that the Judan had other plan.

"Why don't all of us play at the same time?" The long-haired male clasped his hands, making a soft clap in process. It was responded with three very confused looks.

"We only have one board. Besides, you  _are_  good, but I doubt you stand any chance of beating us in a simultaneous game." Shindou blurted out, couldn't help feeling a little offended at the implication.

"Oh, no no! That's not what I'm saying at all, even though I have to admit that I am a little hurt that you, of all people, would doubt me, Hikaru." Sai giggled. "Why don't we form two teams? We can play on the same board."

Hearing the idea, Ogata placed his fingers on his lips thoughtfully. "Like a tag-team? So we take turns making the moves between all four of us?" When Sai nodded enthusiastically, the bespectacled man smirked. "That sounds interesting. We have to guess what our partner is trying to pull and adjust our attacks accordingly."

"Yes!" Sai beamed. "I think it's a good way to really understand your partner's thoughts and in its own way, will improve our skill when playing against each other and others with similar style. What do you think?"

Shindou tilted his head sideways, parting his legs to make way for his hands to grip the edge of the chair. It indeed was an interesting idea, but he couldn't help thinking what mayhem it would cause.  _Especially_  if he was unlucky enough to be partnered with Ogata whose playstyle was the opposite of his. "Sure, why not? So who's gonna play with who?"

Akira leaned forward to take two white stones and two black stones and placed them on top of the board. "Why don't we close our eyes and take one each?"

"No cheating!" Shindou said, closing his eyes before everyone else followed suit. They extended their arms almost in sync, awkwardly bumping against each other before they finally grabbed a stone. All four opened their hands simultaneously and glanced at each other. "Guess I'm your partner, Touya." The boy said, voice fuelled with disappointment. He wanted to play with Sai as their style of Go was very similar, but there was no helping it.

"You don't have to sound so disappointed." Akira scoffed at the boy as he placed the black stone inside the appropriate bowl and wrapped his fingers around it to drag it towards him.

"What? I don't think we can work together at all! Do you?"

"I  _did_ , but now not anymore after you say that."

"Then let me set the pace! You better keep up, Touya!"

"That's  _my_  line! Don't you start making excuses when you drag me down!"

"Should we re-arrange the team?" Muttered Ogata as he stared at the two young prodigies in front of him, currently nose-to-nose in their hissing competition. If that kept up, they would never start.

Sai covered his lips as he giggled and shook his head. "No, this is fine. It will be an interesting sight to see."

"If you say so." Ogata dully replied, taking his time to cross his legs and rest his chin on his palm as he waited for the two to stop bickering like an old married couple. It was perhaps why he never want to have a kid,  _ever_.

The game ended with Akira and Shindou's magnificent loss as they gained no significant hold on territory or influence. Both men were far too busy screaming and glaring at each other to concentrate on the match. It was as if  _they_  were the ones who were playing, and in turn intentionally ruining the other's rhythm with hands that had no real purpose on the board aside from being decoration.

Ogata and Sai didn't have the best teamwork either since it was a little challenging for the prior to get a sense of what Sai was trying to pull, especially since their style was different. However, they have some edges: their own experience and most of all the way Shindou-Akira pair self-destructed just fifteen minutes into the game.

_"It was all your fault!"_

_"Excuse me?! Who in their right mind would build a wall so thick like that in the early game?!"_

"This wasn't a good idea." Ogata muttered, still looking like he would rather be anywhere else than in the room. It was a miracle that they haven't got kicked out yet from the noise that was coming out of the boys.

_"I was going to lay a trap, dammit!"_

_"Oh? And how was I supposed to know that?!"_

Sai exhaled, couldn't help but agreeing with the Judan. "I thought it would go better than this, especially seeing that Touya-kun looked rather restless after your match. I thought understanding the root of Hikaru's Go would help him to have an edge against Hikaru, but I should have expected this." The long-haired male gazed at the two in concern, hoping that he hadn't done any damage to their relationship. "Have they always been like this?"

_"I don't know, you're the all-seeing all-knowing Touya Akira, aren't you?!"_

_"Well, excuse me for not understanding your convoluted tricks!"_

It was replied with a chuckle and nodding of head. "Oh, yeah."

.

"I'm pretty sure this violates the rules." Amano's brows scrunched up, pen hovering over a half-filled page of the notepad he was holding. "And I'm not sure how to even start explaining it in the article."

In front of him stood a representative from the Institute and he looked more troubled than the reporter in front of him was. Shifting his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other, he scratched the back of his head. "I don't know how it comes about either. I mean I'm not in charge of the actual match-up meeting so I really didn't hear how they even find the loophole to... well, do  _this_."

Amano adjusted his glasses, clicking his pen repeatedly as if deep in thought. "Well, I suppose it will be interesting. I have to admit that I am as pleased as I am surprised. After all, the Institute had always been uptight about upholding the rules."

"This is the first I've heard of this, in those years I've been a representative. Honestly, it was like I was hit by a truck."

"There weren't any other volunteers?" The reporter curiously asked.

"From what I heard, no one even  _wanted_  to deny this match from happening. They all backed off as soon as the institute made their tentative decision." The raven-haired representative chuckled nervously but couldn't help returning the amused look with one of his own as he passed Amano a few sheets of paper. "Well, these are the kifu of their best games. I have to admit that I'm really impressed with the quality, especially..." He eyed the topmost documentation on the thin pile. "He really is something else. To think that he's only 25."

Amano extended his hand to read the game record and smiled in delight. "Sai. Fujiwara-sensei." Involuntarily, his heart beat picked up. "What monstrous power. It's almost like he plays with experience forged through a thousand years."

"Yes," The black-haired male replied pensively, still unable to tear his eyes away from the sheet of paper. "His opponent wasn't strong enough for us to completely gauge his power. It's rather terrifying to think that he most likely can play in a level way above this."

"Fujiwara Sai." Amano muttered thoughtfully as he glanced out of the window. "If he really is  _sai_ , then I suppose we are in for a treat. I can't picture a more fitting opponent than him. The whole world will be watching."

The other man nodded, eyes jittery as they were wistful. The match that he witnessed two years ago vibrated his soul and so many others. To think that a rematch was about to occur in just a few weeks time was humbling. As Amano mentioned, the world would and  _should_  be watching. It was going to be a match of the century.

"Fujiwara Sai versus Touya Kouyo."

.

"That big talk only for a half a moku victory."

"I  _won_. What difference does it make?" Ogata glared at Shindou through the rear-view mirror. The match that day had been particularly troublesome due to a miscalculation on his part that allowed Ichiryuu to close the large margin between them. What should have been in his pocket by middle game continued into yose where he had to scrape any remaining point available.

"In the end it's 1-4 in your favour. It was a good game." Sai beamed in delight after seeing it first hand. "Congratulations, Seiji."

"Still, Ichiryuu-sensei's hands were strange. The past three games it seemed like... like he was hesitating?" Akira mulled as he watched the cityscape passed him by in a blur. Of course it wasn't that Ichiryuu was playing badly, by any means. It was just that he found Shindou performed much better in his game, especially after the rollercoaster that was the final Gosei match. Akira had never held his breathe for so long in his entire life, and that should say volumes about how intense it was.

Remembering that Shindou was now an 8-dan Gosei was sufficient for a distant look to re-surface in Akira's eyes. After regaining the confidence that his rival was still within an arm's reach, Shindou just had to take yet another big leap forward and make another attempt at leaving him behind. He couldn't blame Shindou for his rate of growth as Akira had come into terms long ago that the boy's latent talent in Go was simply stunning. And after the game against Sai a few weeks ago, he was also unable to start pointing fingers at his own helplessness. The best he could do is to use the time he spent wallowing in what if's to better himself.

"His games have always been a hit and miss." Ogata replied as his fingers worked on turning the dial inside the car to crank up the air conditioning, combating the intense summer heat. "But after a few losing streaks, he always comes back stronger than before. It's nothing to frown at." He continued. Of course, even if the man had played his best game, Ogata still had confidence in his own skill that he would emerge victorious one way or the other.

"Hey, isn't the registration for NHK Cup opening soon?" Shindou glanced at his teacher currently sitting next to him, bouncing lightly on his seat as he watched the terrain outside moving past him in a blur. "You should join too, Sai."

"NHK Cup?" The male turned his head to now face Shindou with questioning look. Even after being back on the face of Earth once more, he realised that he still knew little about the professional world.

"It's a tournament that lasts 11 months and only 50 professionals can join. Title holders are immediately eligible for a spot, but since you're a beginner dan, you have to fight your way through the prelim. Your game gets broadcasted on the TV and gets its own commentary, so I think that's pretty cool!" The Gosei grinned at the thought. He had never made it past the preliminary due to his terrible luck that matched him up against monstrous players, but this year he had a free admission straight to the main tournament. Akira however, had the chance to participate last year due to his overwhelming winning streak, but turned it down in favour of the Hokuto Cup. "And you can commentate on other's games too if you volunteer for it!"

Sai's eyes were filled with stars and Shindou thought the man was going to start crying. "That sounds  _delightful_! Will Touya-sensei be joining as well?" Sai gripped his student's shoulders tightly and shook him back and forth. "I would love to commentate on his game!"

"Sai, ugh! Let me go!" The boy choked out his word as he was forced to move furiously. Akira couldn't help a small chuckle seeing the innocent and childish interaction taking place on the backseat. It was an entertaining thought that ran around his head, imagining how strange Shindou would've looked right now if Sai was still a spirit. When his teacher muttered his apology and placed his hands on his lap, Shindou cleared his throat. "Touya-sensei's been invited to the LG Cup already. They're still working on three others to go with him."

"What's an LG Cup?" The ex-spirit blinked in naivete and Shindou silently wondered if Waya had ever been annoyed to be bombarded by his inane questions during his Insei years. The answer was probably a thoughtless yes.

"It's an international cup. Only 4 are invited from Japan each year, and 16 others have to fight for a spot." Explained the boy. "Didn't you go last year, Ogata?'

The bespectacled male nodded rather bitterly, recalling how he had been knocked out in the first round by a Korean professional. "Touya-sensei, Iyama-sensei and that geezer was there too." The geezer being no other than the Honinbo who just refused to die.

"Has Japan ever won the LG Cup?" Shindou frowned, mildly disturbed by the fact that Japan wasn't as prominent of a country as they should be in the international scene. At the silence, the boy only sighed. "I hope we can change that next year. I mean, Touya-sensei's been doing amazing right?"

Ogata nodded faintly, recalling the last time he had the honour to play the ex-Meijin. He was just as good as Sai was, but the two had probably outdid themselves again, it was a slippery slope trying to see who was superior between the two. It truly was a terrifying notion. Sai's interest was piqued at the mention of the man he had been dying for a rematch with and so he listened to Ogata. "Ever since his retirement, his games had been awfully close. Last year, he lost only by the skin of his teeth, so I do believe we have a fighting chance."

"Besides, the roster has not been finalised yet. I mean..." Akira glanced at Sai. If it was not only his father, but through the combined strength of his father  _and_  Sai, Japan would no longer be the root of anyone's jokes. "Well, we still have a few more months before they send out the invitation and the prelim to begin."

"Yeah, who knows if I'll get invited too." Intertwining his fingers and resting the back of his head against them, Shindou grinned. He is now a title holder, after all. The youngest title holder,  _ever_. 

Akira rolled his eyes at the response that should be expected. Akira had never been the one to roll his eyes due to his excellent manners but Shindou just... does  _things_  to him. However, it was a welcome change. Before he admitted Shindou as a rival-friend, he spent far too long in the company of adults who he respected, so to act so immaturely and so freely with no need for pretentious manners was a little alleviating to say the least.

"But with so many great players how do they know who to invite?" Asked Sai excitedly, his eyes were flowery and cheeks rosy at the thought of playing international talents. From what he had heard, the Koreans seemed to be at the top of their game in this era.

"Partly from winning streak, but mostly from the quality of games. Touya-sensei had been a staple ever since it started, now even moreso. Technically speaking, there has always been three remaining spots." The bespectacled male muttered as he turned on the steering wheel idly with one hand to take a right turn. The pub where the celebration of Shindou's Gosei and Ogata's Meijin title was about to take place was only a mere few minutes away. "Interested, Sai?" Ogata asked even though he knew full well what the response would be.

"Yes, yes!" The long-haired male nodded rapidly as his shoulders squeezed together. "I just have to perform well?"

Ogata chuckled. Sai probably didn't have to do  _anything_  but play as per usual and soon after, he would be a staple along with Touya too. He might even have a chance to be invited if he played the top of his game for the upcoming shin-shodan. After all, if his ears didn't betray him, his opponent would be the ex-Meijin himself. The ones in charge of deciding the match-ups had personally invited all of the title holders just a few days ago—excluding Shindou since apparently his achievement was far too close to the shin-shodan for him to compete, and personally asked if any of them would like to volunteer to play against the one and only Fujiwara Sai.

Of course, everyone immediately jumped at the offer, desperately wanting to play against the internet legend in an official match. Ogata assumed that the three of them would have to slug it out for the honour of facing Sai and to be honest, he didn't mind the idea. Ogata was fairly confident that he would win despite that damn Kuwabara still running around with that sharp tongue of his, almost completely snapping him out the self-restraint that he prided himself on. The reverse komi would of course, remain, but they would just have pretend like it was a mere bedtime story and calculate the final score as it appeared on the board with 6.5 komi for white.

The invitation alone was something to raise an eyebrow at, since usually they would assign a title holder based on their particular Go style against the beginner dan unless someone wished to volunteer. Ogata hadn't been entirely keen on playing against anyone so he had been quite passive, only accepting whatever opponent he would get. Not like they were particularly interesting enough challenge anyway. But what surprised all the three of them into dead silence was the fact that the committees had a request from Touya Kouyo to play in the shin-shodan. Nothing of the sort ever happened, and Ogata was pretty damn sure that it was against the rule since Touya technically was a title holder no more.

However, the board seemed troubled too. They made it clear that it was a tentative decision and they would turn down the request if the title holders could reach a decision among themselves of who could have the honour of playing against someone of Sai's calibre. Ogata was the first person who said without a flicker of doubt that the Honorary Meijin should be the one playing, as he strongly believed that at the moment, only Touya could play a game worthy of welcoming Sai into the professional world. He wouldn't deny that the Honinbou, the Kisei or himself was any less worthy, but after what short time he spent with Sai, he knew that the man had been itching for a rematch although he hadn't explicitly announced it. Besides, it would be a marvellous chance to see just what galaxy the two could tailor with their hands, and what others could learn from them. For the moment, he was willing to set aside his own volition in favour of what would be a match of a lifetime.

Kuwabara and Ichiryuu seemed to ponder Ogata's argument for a while as they remained unmoving aside from the lightning quick glances at each other. It didn't take too long for them to finally agree with him in the matter which only served to stir the committees further as they looked at each other and whispered among themselves. Ogata knew just how much they tried to uphold the rules within the Institution, but it was relieving to see that they loved the game enough for them to start making exception in the face of one in a lifetime opportunity. For now, Ogata just hoped that he would be able to see the look on Sai's face when he heard who his opponent would be.

"Alright, we're here." The bespectacled male snapped out of his daydream as he slowed down, scouring for a parking spot.

"Your shout right, Ogata?" Shindou grinned, resting both of his hands on the seat in front of him.

"Sure. I mean, not like you'd hold your title or win another one next year anyway." He chuckled impishly as he turned off the car engine and stepped out, rolling the sleeves of his black shirt up.

"Just you wait and see. I'll take your Judan  _and_  Meijin titles. We'll see who'll be laughing then." Shindou seethed with anger at the provocation. It was only replied with another set of chuckle and Sai's giggle, as well as Akira's sigh.

And so they entered the pub, and to be honest it was going to be both Shindou and Akira's first time visiting such place since they never really had any particular reason why they should be there. Not to mention that they weren't eighteen yet and would need adult supervision inside. It was pleasant enough. Shindou had imagined a nightclub-like environment, but guess Ogata was considerate enough to not shove the boys somewhere with maddeningly deafening music or far-too-much cigarette and drunkards.

Sai stared at his surrounding, completely unfamiliar as shown by his observing eyes. It was dim inside, only decorated with flickering lights, the smell of alcohol and food pungent in the air as they ventured forward, bypassing bars with beer taps and finally settled on a vacant table. "What is this place?" He finally asked, lips curling in confusion.

Akira and Shindou merely exchanged an amused look, as opposed to Ogata who frowned as if he just saw a ghost, which he might as well have. "Sai, just how sheltered were you?" He raised one of his eyebrows in confusion, something that was only replied with a nervous giggle from the addressed male. Seeing as how he wasn't about to get a straight answer, he sighed and opted to grab a menu instead.

They made their order and after a few minutes of discussion regarding international cups such as Ing Cup and Samsung Cup, their drinks arrived. Shindou chose a fairly standard orange juice while Akira preferring apple instead. The adults in the group were a little concerned when they started defending their own taste and  _almost_  started one of their screaming competitions over flavour of juice. Ogata settled with his usual ice-cold beer while taking the liberty to order Sai one too. The male had been a little hesitant, but he didn't refuse.

"I don't think you'll like beer very much, Sai." Shindou muttered, taking small sip from his orange juice through the straw. "You're more of a sake person, aren't you?"

"I enjoy sake." Looking at the bubbling yellow liquid with uncertainty, he replied idly. "Especially during a nice day in Spring, watching sakura blossoms through the palace. Perhaps a game or two."

Ogata almost spat out the beer inside his throat when he heard Sai sighing wistfully by the end of the sentence. "What do you mean  _palace_?"

"He meant  _mansion_." Shindou corrected abruptly, having already revised the Ways to Lie About Sai's Past 101 everyday. "Right, Sai?" It was followed with a furious nod and a look of apology. The man surprisingly had a loose mouth when it came to secrets.

Ogata seemed sceptical at the answer if the furrow on his forehead was any indication, but thankfully decided to let it go. It was no use trying to push Shindou for an answer, he learned that much. The three shifted their attention in sync to watch Sai taking a sip from the beer, tilting his head sideways as he savoured the bitter taste of the alcohol coating his tongue before swallowing. He didn't seem to mind it as he blinked back at them.

Shrugging at the indifference in disappointment, Shindou started, "Go Weekly should be out today, right?"

"Yes, and I heard the letter for Shin-shodan match ups should already be delivered this afternoon." Akira raised as he watched their foods arriving at the table. When he looked up, he saw a glint on Ogata's lens covered eyes as he tugged the corner of his lips into a faint smirk. Akira immediately realised that Ogata already knew who Sai's opponent was going to be. Through the way he seemed rather relaxed yet full of anticipation, it didn't seem like he would be the one to play against Sai this time. Ogata also wouldn't have such ecstatic look on his face if either Kuwabara or Ichiryuu was to be Sai's opponent either, which only leaves...

His eyes shifted towards Shindou but the bespectacled male shook his head lightly with the telltale smirk still on his lips, making Akira's eyes widen in full at the realisation. There was no one else who could be playing Sai that would excite Ogata the way he did. His father.

His father was going to play against Sai in the shin-shodan.

It was a realisation that churned Akira's stomach with a mix of curiosity as to why his father didn't let him know beforehand and anticipation of what potentially would be the best shin-shodan match he would ever witness in his life. Which left the question: how. How did his father manage to convince the committees? Was it due to the storm in NetGo? Was it their respect for the ex-Meijin or was it just through their impulsive volition? Regardless of the answer, Akira was determined to question his father about it as soon as came home.

"Well." Ogata cut through Akira's train of thought, lifting his beer glass. "We haven't done a toast."

"Oh, right." Shindou realised after halfway through his juice.

"To the title winners." The Judan announced, raising the glass high up in the air.

"To the title winners!" Repeated the other three as their glasses clinked against each other with a satisfying noise.

.

After the fifth glass of beer, Ogata's vision started to blur and he was no longer able to walk straight for very long.

Sai however, was matching him glass to glass without any indication that he was about to stop any time soon. There was no sign that he was even a little affected by the alcohol and it was only through the red tinge on his cheeks that Ogata could be sure that Sai hadn't been drinking water.

Shindou and Akira were far too busy in their argument over which of their dish tasted better to be paying attention to their surrounding or the fact that the it was already night and they had spent over three hours in the pub. Empty glasses were scattered atop the hardwood table as they continuously topped up their drinks. At one point, they even played a few games of Go on the tablet that Ogata brought although far too distracted in their chitter chatter to pay too much attention on it.

After the eight glass, Sai had to admit that he already had enough. He decided that an adult should watch over the underage and the drunk. He pushed the empty glass away from him as he watched the two prodigies in front of him discussing a kifu of two Korean players on the Go Weekly magazine that they bought from the convenience store next door. 

"I think," Ogata slurred. "You should celebrate a little, Shindou." The blond slammed a can of unopened beer in front of the boy and Akira frowned at the Judan. "I mean  _really_  celebrate."

"Ogata-san, Shindou isn't of legal age." He protested firmly as the boy palmed the cold surface of the metal can.

"Seiji, don't." Sai stood up to walk over to his student, not wanting him to take after Ogata's bad influence.

"Come on, Sai. It's just once. Everyone drinks before they're eighteen anyway. What's the big deal?" He glanced at Shindou who frowned at him, but still holding the beer can.

" _Seiji."_  The long-haired male was practically hissing at him.

"Come on, Shindou. Pop it open." The clearly drunk male pushed the beverage harder into the seventeen years old's hand.

One second Shindou was eyeing the beer with mild interest, the next second it was no longer on his hands. Sai snatched it off him with such agility that he missed it just by blinking. The male took a large step forward, expression like nothing Shindou had ever seen before as he stomped his way towards Ogata with an infuriated look on his face.

"SEIJI!" He yelled, taking the attention of everyone inside the pub.

Ogata tumbled backwards due to his lack of balance, towards the wall as Sai slammed his hand just inches away from his body.

" _Don't_." He narrowed his eyes on the bespectacled male as if drilling into him. Disappointment radiated through every crevice of his body as he clenched the beer can tightly in his hand. Ogata's glasses slipped off his nose.

After a pregnant silence,the Judan nodded weakly. "Right. Don't." He silently swore that he wouldn't repeat the mistake of trying to corrupt the young adult ever again or he felt that he might not survive the Wrath of Sai, the absolute doting father.

Both and Akira and Shindou exchanged nervous glances at each other just as Sai finally turned his back and sat on his original position, this time with a sullen look on his face, cheeks puffed and all. The two then pretended to see absolutely nothing as they abruptly took a seat and focused on the magazine when Sai looked at them.

"Have you ever seen him like that?" Akira whispered softly as they covered their faces with the magazine as if it was going to shield them from something.

"No!" Shindou muttered back just a notch louder. "Remind me to never offend him." The 5-dan chuckled at the request, knowing full well that nothing Shindou say would ever fish such hysteria from Sai. His love for his student was far too vast; it transcended space and time, literally.

When the boy with bleached bangs glanced at the content of the magazine, he froze and snapped his head upwards to face Sai, bewilderment finally settling inside his stomach. Squinting back at it to make sure his eyes weren't playing any tricks on him, he almost screamed.

" _Touya Kouyo?!"_

 

 

~~Bonus:~~

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Silly Ogata. You overstepped your boundary now Sai's gonna beat you to death :^) you 100% deserve it. Goodbye. I just needed an excuse to draw Sai being absolutely enraged. Don't mind me~
> 
> I've delayed the Sai vs Toya enough! It's happening now, guys *-* soon, soon! I've been looking for a great game to use as their match and I've got a few options already. Finally.
> 
> Anyways! Please leave comments and kudos :3 thanks for reading!!


	14. Parallel Fuseki

In just a week's time, Sai would be playing against Touya Kouyo and the airline saw an influx of people purchasing return ticket to Japan for the one day that his Shin-shodan would take place.

The whole world was preparing for the storm that was about to strike. After all, how could they not? After the match that swiped everyone off their feet just a little over two years ago, Sai disappeared, leaving everyone to wonder the whereabouts of the legend. Some committed ones had took it upon themselves to trace Sai's IP address, only to confirm that he indeed is from Japan, and that he only played from an internet cafe in Tokyo. The investigation didn't bear any more fruit as Sai's biggest fans had demanded that the player's identity should be kept a secret. After all, there must be a reason why he wasn't willing to reveal himself to the public. The dispute was finally settled after NetGo's admin decided to secure Sai's account from prying eyes, only making his game records publicly available.

So when Sai finally appeared in flesh, the entire Go world exploded.

Professionals and amateurs from all over the world wondered if it would be the start of Japan's dominating performance in the international stage now that wouldn't have to rely only on Touya Kouyo, but Sai as well. A man with skill that arguably surpassed that of the ex-Meijin. Someone with knowledge so deep would for sure, have scattered some of his prowess to the younger generations that they have started to take notice of: Akira, Shindou, Ogata and Kurata to name a few. Now more than ever, they have to learn their names as they would, without a doubt, hear them more often.

Especially Shindou. The boy's improvement had been unstoppable, and everyone had been astonished to learn that he only learned Go five years ago, yet played with ten years worth of skill. If there was anyone who thought that he made it so far just by pure luck, they have been proven wrong when Shindou won Gosei title as the youngest title holder ever recorded in history. Some would argue that his and Ogata's style had been horribly mismatched and that the previous Gosei had realistically been playing with ten points handicap, but no one could deny that a win is a win. No one tried to further undermine that boy's natural talent.

Then there was also his connection with Sai. The effeminate young prodigy whose appearance took everyone by surprise, and had gathered a few fanclubs, no doubt due to both his Godly Go skills and his charming looks. From what information they gathered, Shindou had been training under the legend himself and had shown an massive spike in growth in his previously stabilising improvement. They were certain that it was Sai's handiwork that prepared him for the Gosei match. A few sharp ones swore that they could almost see Sai sitting behind the boy, pointing out moves as the wonderful game unfolded.

However, it wasn't only the world who was eagerly waiting for the long-anticipated rematch, two years in the making. Both players had been preparing themselves in a way that they only know how: playing. Touya took it upon himself to call on a few professionals to play against and review Sai's games with. It was something that he had never done, but felt necessary. He knew that Sai wouldn't sit still with his face buried in a book either. The man had the full support of his three closest friends with their distinguishing quirks that Sai would readily soak up like a sponge. Touya understood that when the time comes, he would be facing not only Sai, but also his son Akira, Shindou Gosei and his student Ogata Meijin. It was a feeling like no other.

It was if he was a royal guest who dared to draw and point his sword at an emperor in the face his three loyal retainers.

The thrill sent shiver down Touya's spine, something that he hadn't experienced in a long while. He didn't regret walking up to the Go Institute with an insane proposition that was he knew full well violated the rule. Not even for a second did he think that it would be turned down, all he wanted to do was try to realise his desire to once again play Sai. Not in a practice match, but an official one. He wasn't sure if he would ever get another chance like this in the near future, so despite it being Shin-shodan with its reverse komi, he was more than willing to proceed with it. The itch inside of him for the rematch could no longer be contained, especially at the news that Sai had turned pro.

The first time he met the legend himself was in the hospital and he seemed well enough, much to Touya's relief. He was taken by surprise at the news of Sai's collapse and hoped that nothing grave would befall the man. From what vague information he could gather from Shindou's secretive nature about Sai, he assumed that Sai had always been sickly, and hence unable to appear in public. However, when he arrived at the hospital and took the chance to introduce himself to the man he considered a rival, Touya had a hunch that it was not due to an illness that he refused to become a professional earlier despite his skills.

Sai was young; far too young for skill like his. No, Touya wasn't about to undermine his talent just because of his apparent age. It had a lot to do with how he could feel the electricity in his words—they were gentle, but firm, wisdom seeping out of every syllable that came out of his lips. He spoke as if he had lived for hundreds of years and the further along they walked into the conversation, he could spot the glimmer in Sai's eyes and how the corner of his lips trembled with excitement. Initially, he egoistically assumed that it was because he finally found a rival worthy of his skill. However, he realised that it was not the case, because he had the exact same expression as he talked with Ogata.

It was as if he was ecstatic at the prospect of interacting with people, overwhelmingly so it felt unnatural. Perhaps it was due to the ailment he suffered those few years ago where he didn't come in contact with anyone except perhaps Shindou. However, Touya's hunch insisted otherwise. After years of letting his instinct guide him at Go, he trusted it. It was a stretch, but Touya hypothesised Sai as some sort of kindred spirit who attached himself onto Shindou, guiding the boy into the path he was walking at. The fact that Shindou defeated his son twice only to fall afterwards, his mysterious connection with Sai and how tight lipped he always seemed to be, the aura that radiated from him during his Shin-shodan and most importantly, how they seemed to be almost like one entity judging from the hayago his son showed him. Then, Sai disappeared. Now, he was reborn as a man.

Touya had always had streaks of superstition, and this was one mystery he believed he found the answer to.

.

"I resign." Isumi muttered bitterly as he glanced down at the go-ban and at his opponent who blinked and exhaled softly, relief clear on his face. "You really are something." He sighed along, the sweat on the back of his neck as a result of the tension finally dried up.

Shindou grinned, scratching the back of his head with tinge of red on his cheeks. "You've gotten better too, Isumi-san. You played a killer middle game." Continued the boy as he removed a few stones off the board and quickly reconstructed it to quietly discuss the match amongst themselves. They ran each other through what went inside their heads when they play a move and it had been an informative analysis by the time they were finished.

"Really though, congratulations on winning the Gosei title. I haven't had the chance to say it since you haven't been around as often. Missing Morishita-sensei's classes too?" The black haired male chuckled as they made their way outside to grab food together.

"Yeah, after the third time I skipped, I kinda don't wanna go anymore. Feels like I'm gonna get an earful." The boy shrugged nonchalantly while tapping the front of his shoes against the ground. "Anyways, thanks! It's pretty fancy, isn't it?"

"Fancy isn't exactly a word that I would use..." Isumi laughed, rather amused at his friend's apparent nonchalance even after achieving such an impressive feat. Getting the better of Ogata was truly something to be proud of, after all. "Have you been practising with Fujiwara-sensei?"

At the question, Shindou's expression soured involuntarily as he scoffed and shoved his hands inside his pocket. "Not as much as I want to." He murmured, curling his nose into a pout. Isumi gazed at the boy questioningly as prompt for him to continue, which he did. "Ogata's been hounding him and I can only play Sai at night. Sometimes I just want to stab the guy and get it done and over with."

Isumi chuckled rather humorlessly but decided to let it slip. "I was going to ask if I could have another chance to play him, if that's okay with you, and if he has time." Before Shindou could say anything else, Isumi's shoulders tensed in realisation. "Oh, that's right! He has to prepare for his Shin-shodan."

"Sure. But apparently his definition of preparation is to hang around with Ogata and Touya all day." Shindou rolled his eyes in frustration at how the two had kidnapped his teacher. Well, to be fair they most likely were readying Sai for his coming match since, Shindou admitted begrudgingly, both of them knew a lot more about Touya's style of Go compared to him.

"I suppose you have to learn to share your teacher now, huh?" The dark haired male smiled, couldn't help feeling a little amused at the boy's display of possessiveness. 

"Wish I don't have to." Shindou muttered in response, walking into the fast food joint that he frequented with Waya and Isumi to find the brunette already sitting there with his half-eaten burger. "You started without us!"

"You guys are slow!"  Waya retaliated, wiping off his ketchup stained lips using a serviette.

"Ah, Hikaru!" A melodious voice chimed and when Shindou turned back, he saw Sai waving his arms about excitedly. Sitting with him were Ogata who only looked at him and Akira who gave him a small wave. 

"Sai?" Shindou blinked at the fact that his teacher was sitting inside a burger joint with an untouched cheeseburger meal set. It was a mismatch. The boy approached the group, nevertheless, followed by Isumi and Waya who were just as surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Probably eating." Ogata cut sarcastically, eyeing the loaded tray on the table.

"No one asked for your opinion." Shindou stuck out his tongue and scoffed, making both Waya and Isumi almost jump out in surprise at the disrespectful tone that he used to address  _the_  intimidating Ogata. But again, it was Shindou. There was hardly anyone who he would talk with respect to. He was a little better comparing to a few years ago, but hadn't completely changed.

"Oh, we took a small break from our games." Sai giggled. "Seiji and Touya-kun has improved. You'd best be worried, Hikaru." At that, Shindou found himself frowning at the men in topic in frustration, jealousy suddenly swelling inside of him once more.

_Why._ Why was Sai okay with spreading his knowledge with just anyone?

Shindou pursed his lips as he tried to calm himself down, not wanting emotion to get the better of his mood. He knew that it was an unreasonable feeling and he felt guilty for harbouring dislike for what his best friend specialised in: teaching. It was getting increasingly harder to cool down the envy residing in the bottom of his stomach, weighing him down like a tonne of bricks.

"Ah, right. You were saying something, Fujiwara-sensei?" Akira shifted his attention to the purple-haired individual once more after dismissing the displeased emotion on his rival's face as a mild frustration at the notion that Akira was slowly catching back up to him.

Sai blinked before sighing softly, thumbs twiddling under the desk. "Uhm..." He trailed off, seeming unsure if he should voice his thoughts or not. "...Someone professed their love to me."

Ogata spat out his drink on Shindou's face.

"What the  _fuck,_ Ogata?!" The boy yelled out, stealing some serviettes from the desk to clean his face up from the disgusting liquid that had been in the Judan's mouth. That was one way to distract Shindou's train of thought.

"W-who was it?" Akira stammered, his face turning pinkish even though it wasn't him who just received a confession. Opposite of him, Ogata busied himself by wiping his mouth clean using a handkerchief that he fished out of his pocket, not muttering even an apology for the poor boy he just sprayed water on. Waya and Isumi looked dumbfounded at the whatever the hell just happened in front of them. It was clear that the last two weren't too used to being with Shindou's merry band of misfits.

"I'm not too sure. She ran away before I could say anything in return." Sai muttered, clearly puzzled at the sudden event that transpired. "I didn't even get the chance to thank her."

"Would you have accepted it?" Shindou threw the wet serviettes in the bin not far from them. The obvious answer would no, but Sai was probably too polite to reject her straight out. It was rather disheartening, really. In all of those years, Shindou had never once received a confession, yet Sai was able to net one in such a short amount of time.

"Huh? I... I don't know." He glanced nervously at Ogata as if asking for assistance for something he had almost no experience in. His life in the past had been one without any budding romance, as he had been far too involved in Go to pursue any relationships. Besides, it was a time different from his era. He wasn't sure what would be considered rude. Thinking about it, he was rather fortunate that the female fled when she did, or he would be at loss.

"Don't look at me," The bespectacled male sneered, obviously less experienced in romance than everyone suspected.

"Yeah, Sai." Shindou grumbled, still annoyed that Ogata had yet to apologise to him. "This guy screams 'I'm a player' more than anything." to which he was only responded with a shrug but no denial, as if silently admitting that he didn't want to have anything to do with romantic relationship.

Waya eyed Isumi nervously, obviously still wasn't sure what to make out of the whole situation. From the first glance, the four would  _never_  get along, not in their wildest dreams. They were far too different: Shindou, the loud-mouthed one who would cause fight whenever possible; Sai, the graceful one who almost seemed like the mother of the whole group; Akira, the calm and composed one, but got riled up easily around Shindou; and Ogata, the man who seemed to be allergic to human affection. For some reason, they imagined the relationship between the four to be that of a strictly professional one where all they would talk about was Go, but this... well, it was surprising, but relieving at the same time. Because it seemed that they have a lot more personality than what everyone assumed.

"Ah, Waya-kun, Isumi-kun. I apologise for that." Sai smiled at the two after everything calmed down.

"That's fine, Fujiwara-sensei," Both of them said almost simultaneously as they watched  _Touya Akira_  taking a bite of a  _cheeseburger_  as if they just saw a ghost.

"That reminds me." The long-haired male started once more, taking a sip of his orange juice. "I'm forming a study group. If you two are interested—"

"YES!" Waya cut him off rather quickly, finding Sai's proposal to be much more interesting than  _Touya Akira_ taking a bite of a  _cheeseburger_. He then cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "Yes. Please. Fujiwara-sensei!"

"Morishita-sensei is going to kill you, Sai." Shindou chuckled, imagining what kind of expression the 9-dan would wear when he realised that Sai stole two of his students. "Remind me to never come back there ever again if I still want to be in one piece."

"Duly noted." The brunette laughed, silently agreeing with his friend.

"I-I'd be honoured to attend your study session, Fujiwara-sensei." Isumi stuttered, obviously taken by surprise at the sudden but welcomed proposition. He stole a few quick glances at Shindou, Akira and Ogata, the ones who would most likely be attending as well. It would be quite a feat to get along with the last two on the list and Isumi was sure that Waya thought the same too. The boy was merely too excited at the prospect of being taught by Sai to be thinking about anything else.

"I'm glad!" Sai beamed with happiness at the agreement, excitement swirled within him. Finally he would be able to take the first step necessary into polishing their natural talent and have the honour to watch them grow, little by little until they realise their true potential. What a rush of joy would rain upon him once that day come. "Seiji will help me to finalise it once my Shin-shodan is over." He glanced sideways, answered by a light nod by the Judan.

"Shin-shodan..." Waya muttered, placing a finger on his chin thoughtfully, feeling the wave of anticipation hitting him all at once. It sent shiver down his spine to imagine that the long-awaited rematch between Touya and Sai was about to occur. "It's hard to believe that the Institution gave Touya-sensei the green light."

Akira exhaled lightly at the statement, especially after the less than satisfactory answer provided by his father a few days ago. "I'm having trouble keeping up with father as of late. It's almost like he went back thirty years in time and regained all his youth back."

"Maybe he just gave all of his oldness to you, considering you're still as uptight as ever." Shindou laughed, followed by a death glare focused on him by Akira, to which Shindou only shrugged.

Touya Kouyo vs Sai. The world had been hyped up plenty, but Shindou found himself unable to sympathise with the crowd. He wanted to be glad for Sai, really he did. However, he couldn't bring himself to maintain the same level of excitement as everyone else. The boy found himself sighing at his own pettiness. He never thought that Sai returning would entail so much psychological problem for himself. Shindou had thought that he was mentally resilient, but now he started to question its validity. Being dead worried about Sai's health, the rising envy for his newfound relationships and now, this match.

Of course he was extremely joyful that Sai now was able to stand by him once more, but he was just tired of constantly having to fight himself over his own damn possessiveness. If only he could swallow a magic pill that would make all of it disappear, he would have. However, Shindou was only human, a weak one at that. He was slowly being dragged down into the pit, and he felt that if he didn't address the root of the problem and work out a way to solve it together with Sai, their relationship would be torn asunder. 

However, Shindou was half terrified what it would mean for them if he decided to come clean. After all, Sai seemed so happy, his smile brighter than he remembered, and laughter never ceased to escape from those thin lips of his. Shindou didn't want to rob his teacher off it. Akira's intervention that day in the hospital raised his spirit a little, and helped to solve one problem, but there was still a whole lot that needed to be solved. It was an overwhelming obstacle.

Especially now. The reason why Sai disappeared those couple of years ago was because he played against the ex-Meijin. Who was to say that he wouldn't once again be ripped apart from the face of Earth? The gods had been cruel to Shindou by taking him so abruptly, and this might be one last trick that they wanted to pull in order to make him break to the point of no return.

Shindou didn't realise how much his body was shivering until Sai looked at him, eyebrows dropping slightly and lips parted. He leaned forward from his position from near the window, and past Ogata on the aisle to touch Shindou lightly on the hand.

"Hikaru?" He whispered softly, feeling the tremor. "Are you alright?"

Shindou tensed at the contact and his shoulders jerked up violently. "I—" He stammered, turning his head to find that everyone was looking at him. "I'm fine. I need to go." He immediately made his way to the door in a half-run, not wanting to stay there a second longer. Not when his mind was conquered with dread. He needed somewhere quiet to calm himself down, to convince himself that nothing would change after the Shin-shodan, and to remember that Sai promised to not leave him, that it was going to be okay, that  _he_ was going to be okay.

What would the repercussion for telling Sai his feelings be? He really didn't want to take his focus away from the upcoming match, a match that Shindou knew Sai had been looking forward to. Shindou didn't want to be a reason why Sai lost, because unlike then, Sai had a lot on his plate. Sai had to go to his oteai matches soon, start taking his own students, maintain his friendship with whomever he chose, even if it was  _that_ Ogata. Shindou had to brace himself, he had to not break down now. He should be glad for Sai for his second chance in life. He  _had_ to be okay.

Finally unable to contain his emotion, Shindou let his tears spill.

.

"Do you think he's alright?" Isumi blinked when the boy upped and left so suddenly. "He looked a bit shaken up."

"How unlike him." Waya scratched the back of his head in confusion, but decided to face Sai who seemed to be just as puzzled as he was.

Sai seemed sullen as he leaned back against his chair and stared outside the window. Shindou had been acting very strange lately, and it was happening more and more often. Sai wanted to ask him to speak his mind, but whenever he would sit down and start, Shindou would immediately shift the conversation, and Sai didn't want to pry so he always let it slip. Sai had never been particularly amazing at interpreting other people's emotion outside of Go, and he would never be able to figure out what his student was dealing with unless he was told.

However, Akira was a lot better at interpreting the boy's emotion. And now that he knew the full story, he might be able to help Sai out. So he silently glanced at the boy, eyes softening as if pleading for assistance, and Akira's lips scrunched up together and shook his head lightly. Although Shindou had told him the outline of his story, he didn't know enough to be able to judge correctly, and he didn't want to throw around baseless assumption that might make matter worse for the two.

Sai glanced at Ogata, hoping that he would have some sort of hypothesis, but the Judan only threw his head back. He wished he could help Sai to crack Shindou's thoughts as it seemed to worry him, but after living for thirty years, understanding human emotion hadn't been his strongest forte. If Akira was unable to read his rival, there was no hope for Ogata.

The previously bright mood stooped as no one could stand seeing the somber look on Sai, a man who they already associated with the ray of sunshine itself. They finished the rest of their food in silence and returned to the Go salon to have another few practice games with Isumi and Waya watching, but they could tell that Sai's heart wasn't in it.

"Shindou is really dear to you." Ogata muttered as he cleaned up the board and cupping the pile of black stones to pour them back out into the go-ke. Even when out of it, Sai still managed to get the better of him, although only by a small margin of 1.5 moku.

"He's..." Sai stopped in his track, not wanting emotion to cloud his composure that might lead to him spilling his story. "Yes. I love Hikaru. He is like a family to me."

The bespectacled male nodded, stealing an idle glance at Isumi and Akira's board only to see that the latter was leading. "I hope you two will settle whatever is going on. The match is one week away, and it would be a shame if you let anything distract you."

The long-haired male only hummed in response, still looking at his lap with a sullen look, not reacting even the slightest when Isumi admitted his match. Ogata wasn't sure what to do in the situation, but he decided to let Sai alone with his thought as he walked outside towards the parking lot to take a smoke break.

"Fujiwara-sensei." Akira started, taking a seat next to the man. Sai smiled thinly at him, the usual enthusiasm amiss. "Did something happen to Shindou and my father?" He muttered softly even after Isumi and Waya said their farewell and left the salon. Akira could recall a few times when Shindou would shoot a look of guilt towards the ex-Meijin, and wondered if it was related at all to the issue at hand.

Sai looked up in uncertainty and blinked at the strange question.

However, a few moments later, Sai's eyes widened in realisation. "Of course," He pursed his lips tightly, anxiety swirling in the pit of his stomach. "Hikaru..." He sighed, unable to believe how foolish he had been to not realise it earlier. Shindou must have been worried that his match against Touya might separate them again. "How did I not realise it sooner?" Sai spat out his words bitterly. It was a thought that lingered in his head as well, although didn't take root as deeply as it seemed to be inside his student.

Sai had been far too ecstatic at the prospect of having a rematch against the ex-Meijin to pay too much attention to what it would mean for him once the match was over, and how Shindou must have felt. For Sai, his leave had been merely one fleeting moment, only a few minutes of silence that rang all around him as he closed his eyes. However, it wasn't the case for Shindou. For the boy, it had been two years of loneliness and futile searching. Of course it would have adverse effect on him.

"Fujiwara-sensei?" Akira gasped when he saw tears pooled in the corner of the man's eyes.

He inhaled softly and wiped the moisture away using his fingers before starting. "The reason I disappeared was because I played against your father, Touya-kun."

It took Akira a second to realise what he meant by that, and the realisation hit him like a brick. He could only imagine what his rival must be going through right now, and he cursed his inability to read him better. "Then we have to go. We have to explain it to him." As if on cue, Ogata walked back inside with a trail of smoke coming out of his lips. Akira immediately stood up. "Ogata-san. Let's take Fujiwara-sensei back home."

He frowned at the abrupt decision, but when he saw Sai trying his best to choke up tears, he complied. They made their way into Ogata's car, and they sped off.

"Will someone tell me what's going on?" The bespectacled male hissed, watching how Akira tapped Sai's shoulder in an attempt of comforting him through the rear view mirror. The boy eyed Ogata with a troubled expression before looking back at Sai. " _Anyone_?" He practically growled, loathing the fact that he was the only one to be in the dark. It didn't take a rocket scientist to understand that whatever bothered Shindou must have stemmed from something that occured in the past, and he was content with not knowing the full story. However, it troubled him that Akira seemed to have a good grasp on everything, and that he was the only one that knew shit-all about Sai and Shindou.

Frankly, he started to consider Sai a friend, something that he didn't think he was going to ever let sink in as he hated the idea of being chummy around others. If Sai refused to tell him the story, it made Ogata wonder his place in the man's life. Did he not trust him after all?

Sai realised just how frustrated Ogata was through the way that his forehead tightly scrunched together in a frown, and he silently apologised to Shindou for what he was about to tell Ogata.

"Seiji." He started, and that proved to be enough to somewhat soothe the man as he inhaled quietly. "Do you remember the match I had with Touya-sensei two years ago in NetGo?"

"Of course." He mumbled. No one could ever forget such stunning display of power.

Sai glanced at Akira as if he was Shindou, but the boy wasn't about to give him any assistance in lying about his past, so Sai had to steel himself in order to tell the half-truth. He hated the idea of deceiving a friend, especially Ogata, someone who he learned to treasure very much. However, if Shindou heard that Sai spilled their secret to another person, he didn't want to imagine what would happen then.

"That day was the day that my... ailment took turn for the worse." He said, choosing his words carefully. "One week after that, I was no longer able to stand by Hikaru's side."

"What do you mean?" Ogata cocked one of his eyebrows, still not fully comprehending the situation.

"I was forced apart from him for two whole years. I couldn't contact him. He must think that history would repeat itself again, hence... hence this evening." Sai glanced at Ogata through the rear vision mirror, pleading for the man to not ask him any more than he was willing to answer. 

Ogata let out a sharp exhale as he ran his fingers through his hair, exasperation started to boil inside him. "You really don't trust me, do you Sai?" 

"Seiji!" The long-haired male choked out. That was the last reaction he wanted to hear.

"Ogata-san, please do not think badly of Fujiwara-sensei." Akira cut, noticing how emotion started to get the better of Sai once more. "Their story is not something that can be thrown around, and now is not a good time for Fujiwara-sensei to break the promise he made with Shindou to keep it a secret."

The Judan glared at Akira through the mirror, and the look was returned with the same intensity. Ogata knew that look. Akira wasn't about to sway any time soon.

Sai leaned forward and placed his hand on Ogata's shoulder. "I promised I will tell you everything." He continued firmly, thankful for Akira's intervention. He really didn't want to antagonise Ogata, or anyone for that matter. "And I intend to keep my words."

It seemed to be sufficient to calm the Judan as he nodded pensively, still very much would like to know when the truth would finally be laid out for him. It left a bitter taste in his tongue, but he decided to not argue as Sai seemed to be shaken enough as is.

Akira had expected Ogata to argue his case a little more due to his brash attitude, but was taken by surprise when the man zipped his mouth, instead focusing on the road as they drew closer to Shindou's residency. The rest of the trip was taken in silence as Sai tried to regain focus, revising how he would approach the problem as to not make Shindou shrink deeper into his shell. It was almost like Go, where if he took the wrong approach, it might be over.

Sai had hoped that Shindou would recover, especially after winning his Gosei match without Sai's help, but it seemed that they have more problems than one. Sai tried to deny it, but there was no running away from it. It was something that they never touched on, as if the subject was taboo, but sooner or later, they needed to talk about it: the true purpose of his rebirth. There must be a meaning behind it. And he believed that he would be able to uncover it with Shindou's help.

Getting out of the car, Sai took a deep breath, but failed to slow his heartbeat down.

"Sai," Ogata's voice echoed, snapping him out of a trance as he turned around to face the man. His expression was soft, unlike how it had been just a few moments ago. "If you ever need any help, I'm here."

Akira moved and poked his head to the front seat where the window had been rolled down and gave the long-haired male a heartfelt look. "So am I, Fujiwara-sensei." ' _You won't have to go through this alone anymore. Not you. Not Shindou.'_ Akira silently said to Sai, only giving him a firm gaze to convey the words.

In the mess that was Shindou and Sai's relationship, Akira knew that he had to act as a third party, as the two loved each other far too much to explicitly express themselves. Even though Sai was a good-natured person with a decent understanding of emotion, his ability to comprehend one's feelings failed when it comes to his precious student. Their bond was a fickle and delicate thing, and if Akira did as much as a misstep, he would bring ruin to them. It was a terrifying responsibility to take into his small hands, but he wanted to assist them as much as he could. Especially Shindou. As strong as he might try to present himself, Akira knew just how hard he was trying to keep Sai happy, even though it would cause him a whole world of problems.

As for Ogata, he understood full well that he might not be the perfect company that Sai desperately needed, as his emotional perceptiveness had never had chance to be sharpened. He knew nothing of Sai's story, of Shindou's story, of why they seemed to love each other, and how it might just be their undoing. He couldn't sympathise with such a complex game of life, and he wasn't about to any time soon. However, despite all the odds, he found himself wanting to somehow take some of Sai's pain away. It was difficult for him to comprehend the reason why, but he was willing to take the plunge.

Sai's eyes glistened when he realised that he indeed, wasn't alone anymore. Both Ogata and Akira had his back, softly easing him forward to finally make peace with his new life, and to at last take Shindou's trembling hands in his shivering ones to settle in the journey they were about to take.

Sai wasn't leaving any time soon, and he was certain of it.

.

This is such a cool imagery that I decided to draw it. Will have the completed fully coloured version next chapter for Sai vs Touya!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always draw on a large canvas. If you're keen on seeing the full resolution, just right click the illustration and open image in a new tab ^_^
> 
>  **On Sai and Hikaru** : There are three main issues I feel that they have to come into terms with: The first one which is regarding Sai's health has been mostly solved (thanks Akira!!!), the second one is this one where Shindou is just half scared Sai's going to disappear on him again, and the last (honestly, the biggest one) is Hikaru's jealousy. Please bear with these two! I don't think everything will magically fall into place at all. They need to work out how to approach Sai's new life, after all.
> 
>  **On Akira** : He's playing such an important role to support Sai and Hikaru here. I think it's mostly because he doesn't want to ever lose Hikaru or watch him break, so he takes it upon himself to intervene. I also picture him as someone who can sympathise with others and understand relationships easier than the other three.
> 
>  **On Ogata** : Ogata doesn't do friends. He's confused. Someone please help him. Jokes aside, if Akira's role is to help Hikaru along, Ogata's is to support Sai and piss off Hikaru at every possible opportunities :^) well, my baby Seiji still needs a little bit of emotional sensitivity before he can do anything, but he'll get there!
> 
>  **On Touya** : I feel like he'd be the only person in the entire show who can figure Sai's past out without as much of a 'that can't be true! It's so farfetched!' moment. He's just such a cool cat.
> 
> Whew! I can't believe I've kept up this far with the updates despite having a full time and a part time job. Must be the sheer power of your support! Anyways, it's late and I've been working for 12 hours straight and I'm tired. Hopefully I didn't make too many mistakes.
> 
> For those who are curious, my art blog is [Rhapshie](http://rhapshie.tumblr.com) on tumblr.
> 
> Anyways, please kindly leave kudos and comments ^_^ I would love to hear your thoughts or suggestions of what other thing I should address in this story. Cheers!


	15. Push and Cut

Ogata and Akira's eyes lingered even after Sai closed the entrance door. Neither male moved or said anything as they merely stared at the door, as if expecting someone to burst outside any time soon, something that they hoped wouldn't happen. After a few more moments of silence and watching Shindou and Sai's silhouette through the closed off bedroom window on the second storey, Ogata finally eased back into his seat and rolled the windows back up. Even after he pressed the gas, the gloomy look on Akira's face didn't deter as he kept his eyes fixed on the fingers placed on his lap.

Akira was worried that he might do something unnecessary somewhere along the line. At the moment, it seemed as if he was doing well enough with helping Sai and Shindou to get their problems out of their heads, but it was something far too intimidating for him to completely take charge in. If everything crumbled before his eyes, the blame would be on no one but himself. However, it was the only way he knew how in order to bring the Shindou Hikaru back. If he didn't take charge now, everything might just take turn for the worse. He couldn't bear the thought.

"Fancy a game?" Ogata muttered, cutting through Akira's train of thought. "Seems like neither of us will be able to get this out of our minds any time soon."

The younger male blinked at the surprising offer, but he decided that a distraction would be something wonderful to have at the moment. "Sure." He muttered shortly, forcing a smile as a gesture of politeness and he could've sworn that Ogata returned it with one of his own, although it was so faint that one would miss it if they blink. "You've changed, Ogata-san."

"And I'm not sure how to react to it." The bespectacled male gazed at the road, expression softened when he thought about the past few weeks. He could feel it too from deep within him, a warmth that seeped through his veins, foreign yet not unpleasant. "I've always been content not having anything to do with anyone to this extent. Too much drama."

Akira laughed softly at the typical answer that he would generally expect from the man when suddenly involved in a major argument between others. The man would simply scoff and walk away. "I suppose relationships do come with their own distinguishing dramatics."

"You would know all about it, wouldn't you? Especially the way you just won't stop bickering with Shindou." The Judan shook his head as he said it. It never failed to surprise him just how they could stand each other after arguing that much. If it was him, he would have upped and left. "Sometimes I wonder if you two are even friends."

The boy couldn't deny it, so he merely chuckled. "Trust me, Ogata-san, we _are_ friends."

"Strange." The Judan remarked. He really didn't understand relationships, after all. Although, he knew enough to notice that what Shindou and Sai had was far from normal either. They spent the rest of the trip to Ogata's apartment in silence, only accompanied with the comforting hum of the car's engine and the cloudy night sky that sparse as far as their eyes could see. It was a quiet drive with hardly any vehicles on the road. Ogata took the chance to press a little more on the gas without any regard of speed limit, making Akira felt the jolt of the sudden acceleration.

They arrived at a large apartment complex and after parking and ensuring the car was locked, they entered Ogata's residence. Akira had spent a few times staying over at the man's place when they discussed a particularly fascinating match, so he wasn't entirely surprised at the rather messy living condition. The bespectacled male bent his body to pick up a few scattered beer cans and threw them in the recycling bin before fishing out a couple more from the fridge and made his way towards the kaya go-board sprawled in his bedroom. 

"I forgot to call in the cleaner again." He muttered, popping the beer open and settled on a seiza with Akira following suit. Sometimes he wondered why the Judan opted to live in a luxurious apartment when he was barely ever home.

The clacking of Go stones soon became audible as they played out the entire opening moves in complete comforting silence. For the both of them, there was no sound more soothing than the one they were listening to, and no sensation that felt more right on their fingertips than the cold glassy surface of the black and white stones. Feeling the relief that suddenly settled inside of him, Akira was the first to break the quiet.

"I hope you understand why Fujiwara-sensei refused to tell you the full story, Ogata-san."

"I don't." The male blatantly responded, not attempting to sugar-coat his feelings as he took another small sip from the cold can and exhaled. There was something about Sai that discouraged him from forcing an answer out of him. Perhaps the look that the man would give when he felt pressured, something that resembled a kicked puppy's. It never failed to make him feel guilty about his actions, something that he thought would never happen in his lifetime. Because Ogata Seiji doesn't do guilt.

"You will understand why." Akira smiled thinly as if trying to reassure the man that it wasn't due to lack of trust. "I had a hard time processing the story too when Shindou laid it out."

Ogata hummed in response. If Akira had trouble handling the story, he could just imagine why Sai was hesitant. He wasn't exactly the most imaginative of an individual, after all. "Do you think they'll be fine?"

The younger male looked pensively not at the board, but through it as he pursed his lips nervously. "Perhaps. Their relationship has a very thin line of love and destructiveness. They can't live without each other. If I make a mistake at handling it, I might spell the end for both of them." Akira glanced at Ogata, the rims of his glasses reflected the light as he took another sip of the alcoholic beverage. The man was trying his best to hide it and he was doing a good job through the stoic expression. If Akira's sense of emotion was not as acute as it was, he would have missed the look of sincere concern. "Please take care of Fujiwara-sensei, Ogata-san. He cherishes you."

The bespectacled man scoffed as he played another move on the board to answer Akira's brilliant one. The boy in front of him was truly a prodigy, seeing how he could keep up with Ogata hand to hand. He might be drinking, but he still put some thought behind his moves. It was a shame for him to fail at the semi-final and did not have the chance to face Shindou. Ogata truly was looking forward to that match. Their games were always rough around the edges, quirky and unexpected. Even though they gave it their all to trample their opponent to the ground, Ogata could see the playfulness behind each of their hand. They were having fun as they were challenging themselves and such youthfulness always brought an involuntary smile to his face. 

"It's true." Akira smiled, this time making a cut through Ogata's weak point. "Fujiwara-sensei wears his heart on his sleeve, and he's not trying to hide his affection for you."

"He's like that to everyone." Ogata made an amused exhale through his nose, thinking about the man's bouncy attitude. "It's rather infectious."

The 5-dan gazed at the Judan softly, noticing how meeting Sai had changed him for the better. He found the man to be rather approachable lately, and it was a relief to see him finally coming out of the shell he insisted on being contained within for so long. Even Akira himself, felt a wave of change shifting him too. Sai was an inspiration, he wasn't afraid to help others and played an important role in easing him forward when he felt discouraged. He found himself being rather fond of the man and could see why Shindou loved him so.

As the game proceeded into yose, Akira thought about how lovely it would be to let himself be guided by Sai, alongside Shindou and Ogata, the ones whose hearts had been touched too.

.

The Japanese Go Institution received an extraordinary amount of attendees from all over the world, mainly Korea and China on the day of Sai's Shin-shodan. It was expected since the beginner dan matches were never streamed online, and official kifu released a week after the match had taken place, and this particular match happened to be the longest anticipated game, two years in the making. The committees had especially prepared five rooms as opposed to the usual one just for this occasion.

Shindou was the first to arrive at the room. He decided to leave Sai to his own devices that morning, just so he could focus on the match to come. They took separate trains and arrived separately. His heart thundered loudly in his chest as he took a seat in front of a go-ban in the corner of the room and gazed at it emptily. It was here. Sai versus Touya. Even though they talked about its significance last week and Sai calming him down, he found himself unable to brush off the worry that had taken a deep root inside of him.

"Good morning, Shindou." Akira appeared behind him, snapping him out of his thoughts to give the boy a small nod as he dragged back a chair to sit. His mind was suddenly cleared when he saw that his rival wasn't as shaken as he appeared to be last time he saw him. In the week that they spent apart, Sai must have made peace with him to some extent.

The door was opened once more soon after, revealing Ogata who immediately sat next to Akira with his jacket smelling like cigarette. "The study group's been approved." He said shortly, leaning back against the chair and drummed his fingers on the table. "This is the first time I've seen a shodan forming a study group." He chuckled in amusement.

"Fujiwara-sensei is really something." Akira chuckled before shifting his attention to Shindou once more. "Shall we play a game while we wait?"

"Uh, sure." The boy answered, straightened his back and grabbed a bowl from the top of the board. "There's too many damn people here."

Hearing the usual rough tone, Akira found himself unable to contain a soft, repressed laughter. "Yes. Everyone's been waiting for today, after all. Still, I'm surprised to see just how many are willing to take the plane here to watch a Shin-shodan match."

"I doubt it's just to watch the match. They're probably looking to meet Sai in person." Shindou muttered rather sourly as he placed a stone on the board. "I hope he won't get too crowded."

"Sai, of all people, would be able to handle any crowd with ease. He seems to enjoy the attention." Ogata muttered as he watched the game unfolding in front of him. It was a relatively fast-paced one, yet still adorned with playstyle true to the two. They seemed to dance over the board, pieces whipping each other's with agility and brute force. Shindou was unrelenting in his attack, and Akira somehow managed to defend himself and counterattack at the right time. They knew each other's Go very well and it made Ogata a little envious. Perhaps if he had a rival of his age, he would be able to play such a refreshing Go too.

"Are you okay?" Akira asked softly, clacking of stones still audible.

"Mm," Shindou hummed in response, eyes scouring the board to find a move that would save him from Akira's black. As Sai said, he really had improved. Although Shindou had been far too distracted with his thoughts to devise any elaborate plan, he wasn't being lax. This time, Akira managed to get the better of him as Shindou bowed his head faintly.

The Gosei found himself suddenly overwhelmed with emotion when others started pouring into the room, buzzing with excitement at the match that was about to start. Shindou was truly grateful for Akira's intervention in his relationship with Sai. The boy's eyes and emotional sensitivity had always been exceptional. If it wasn't for him, he would've cracked and crumbled long ago.

"Hey, Touya?" Shindou smiled shyly as he poured the pile of black stones on his hands back into the go-ke. Akira glanced at his rival, a soft expression on Shindou's face as eyes moved to lock with his. "Thanks."

.

Touya was playing a game against Ashiwara when he first heard about Sai's collapse from Kurata who happened to be in the institution when the hospital arrived. The news made his heart skipped a beat, concern spiking through him before he managed to convince himself to settle down, that there was nothing he could do, and thanked Kurata for relaying the news. He took it upon himself to visit the young professional the first thing in the morning and arrived just before 9 AM when visiting hour was about to commence. Touya wasted no time to ask about the room where Sai was located and immediately made his way there.

All he saw of the man was pictures of him, and although they haven't met face to face, Touya already knew that they would get along just fine if the passion that glimmered from his games was something to go by. He heard from fellow professionals who were just as taken as he was with Sai that the man hadn't been holding back during the preliminaries. It was a relieving thought for Touya, as he himself would also have given it his all in the face of people who aimed for the same goal as he was. Not holding back didn't have the same connotation as toying with one's opponent, but there was only a fine line separating the two. However, a man with pure, unfiltered love for Go like Sai wouldn't ever play with his food. Touya was sure of it.

When he softly knocked on the door and a melodic voice coming from the other side telling him to go in, he didn't realise just how much his heart was pounding. He was about to meet Sai, the man he had been longing for a rematch with, in flesh. It was an exciting notion, and he could hardly repress the desire to play against such a wonderful opponent. How long had it been since he last found a worthy challenger who managed to shake every corner of his being? Whose Go so astounding, Touya found his love for the game renewed in despite his age. Games like the one he played against Sai was the reason why he refused to live without Go.

It was only through his practised calmness that he was able to take control of his mind as he walked into the room and stood face to face with Sai. The man was a lot more lithe and paler than the pictures portrayed him. His dark purple hair glistened as they draped over his shoulder, thin lips slightly parted and eyes widened in surprise upon seeing the identity of his guest.

"Good morning, Fujiwara-sensei." Touya started, his voice firm as he placed the fruits he brought with him on the desk just near the door before approaching Sai.

"Well, this is rather unexpected." The long-haired male's expression softened into a smile, and his shoulders sagged as he leaned back into the pillow stacked in front of the headrest. "A welcome surprise, nonetheless, Touya-sensei."

Seeing the hospitality, Touya himself found himself relaxing too, an invisible weight seemed to be lifted off his shoulder and his heartbeat slowed down in process. He initially assumed that their first meeting would be rough around the edges, fuelled with unspoken rivalry and perhaps some exchange of good-humoured taunts. However, if Sai's eyes spoke the truth, the man was one with bottomless kindness, much like his Go. Others might see Sai's Go as cruel, ruthless tool of destruction, but for Touya who could feel the sheer amount of respect radiating from his hands, he begged to differ.

And it wasn't like there weren't any sparks flying around the room from the way their eyes locked, fire burning inside of them, threatening to engulf each other whole. The opponent they had been waiting for, finally in front of them. Touya could tell that Sai himself was having trouble to not ask for a match right there and then through the way he clenched his fingers on the fabric of the blanket covering him.

"Are you feeling well?" Touya was the first to cut through the dense silence.

"Thankfully," Sai responded shortly, still refusing to tear the eye contact despite the warm smile he displayed. "It's rather unfortunate that our first meeting is not over the Go-ban."

"I look forward to that day." Hearing the unconstrained eagerness from his tone, Touya nodded. It was reassuring to know that his desire for a rematch was reciprocated. "I must admit that you are not quite what I expected."

Sai let out a short huff of amusement at the statement. "Oh, trust me, Touya-sensei. I am much more experienced than my apparent age." He could feel the corner of his lips trembled with the excitement of finally meeting the man he had been dying to interact with ever since he first saw him through the television. The aura surrounding him was exactly like how it was years ago, and it instilled some degree of relief in Sai's mind.

"Yes, of course." Touya closed his eyes, smiling as he crossed his arms. "No one will deny that, Fujiwara-sensei."

"Fujiwara-san, I got some—" Ogata stopped in his track when he saw Touya in the room and words failed him for a few moments until Sai took it upon himself to welcome him inside. The Judan placed the bread he bought earlier on the desk next to Touya's fruits basket and wondered if he was disrupting something.

"Ogata-san, you forgot to bring the—" This time it was Akira's turn to blink. "Father?"

"Hello, Ogata, Akira." The ex-Meijin regarded with a nod. "If I had known that you two were visiting as well, I would have asked to come along." Touya exchanged another glance with Sai as the two eased in the hospital room, Akira setting the worn Go-ban on his hands onto the retractable table, just in time for Shindou to pop in, which was his cue to leave. It had been nice to finally put a face and personality to a name, and he eagerly awaited their match, and from the way Sai's firm eyes locked with his unwaveringly, the man anticipated it just as much.

Touya excused himself from the room, determined to show Sai that he had some new tricks up his sleeves the next time they played.

.

One intense moment of focus to the point where you filter out your surroundings, when you no longer able to hear or see anything else except the clacking of stones atop the glazed wooden board, when all you feel all around you was the resolve of your opponent, attempting to scrape and slice you in a moment of weakness, watching the game slowly unfolding and how every stone had its own consequences. Those were the reasons why Sai loved Go, and why he would continue to devote his very existence to the game. However, it wasn't only that. He revelled in the way his heart thundered in his chest, how his breathing would become short and forced, how his smile trembled in anticipation at the thought of playing against the opponent he was destined to play. Most of all, the fleeting moment before the face-off. The way he would take a deep breath as he wrapped himself in quietness and how everything would blur and moved in slow motion. The calm before the storm.

How long had it been since he felt the moment blanketing him so organically? For the longest time, he thought that it was a moment that would no longer be within his grasp, yet it was here. A second chance to let the indescribable rush to enter his blood and bones. Sai felt unable to contain the excitement as he gripped his thigh through the fabric, trying to calm down. At last, a rematch that he had been waiting patiently for. He was grateful for the effort on Touya's side to ensure that it wouldn't be delayed any longer. Now that everything was more or less settled with Shindou, there was nothing that could distract him from the game to come. It was going to be a brilliant one.

Sai slowly got to his feet when he deemed that it was time to start making his way into the match hall. It appeared that Touya had the same idea, as the two stumbled upon each other on the entrance of Yuugen no Ma. They said nothing, except exchanging fiery glances at each other and bowing as if saying 'good game' for something that had yet to occur. They walked together simultaneously before silently taking a seat in front of the Go-ban, eyes unwavering.

Isumi, in charge of recording the game that day, was hardly able to contain the pressure exerted from the two male with legendary Go skill in front of him, eyes locked in anticipation. He could just see the fire that burned all around them, threatening to set aflame anyone who dared to come near them. He swallowed thickly as his hand moved to grip the pen provided for him, only to drop it on the table. He wasn't the one playing, yet he was the one who was trembling. Biting his lower lip as hard as he could without drawing blood, he used his other hand to clench his right wrist, desperately wanting to calm down.

Everyone in the viewing room was almost as nervous as Isumi was. They were unable to see the two male aside from the corner of their knees and hands, yet the pressure instilled itself inside them. No one was talking as they watched the clock ticked on, seconds away from the start of the match.

"Shindou," Akira whispered after seeing Shindou's shivering lips and he moved to sit next to the boy, placing a warm hand on his back. The boy let out a small choke from his throat as he anxiously waited for the game to commence.

_"It's going to be okay."_ He whispered in his head, desperately wanting to settle down and enjoy the match. _"Sai said it's going to be okay."_ Akira's warmth seeped into him through the palm on the spine of his back, bringing a welcome comfort and reassurance, and Shindou took a deep breath just in time for Ogata's large hands to tap him on the shoulder softly. When he opened his eyes, and exhaled, he was prepared to watch his teacher's game and soak up what he could from it.

"This is a Shin-shodan series. Black will be played by Fujiwara Sai Shodan, and white will be played by Honorary Meijin Touya Kouyo." The timekeeper said, cracked through the TV audio. "The time limit is 2 hours with 1-minute byo-yomi. Komi is reversed 6.5."

Reverse komi. It was a collective decision that no one would pay it any mind. It was there for formality and nothing more. The game that was about to take place, as far as everyone was concerned, would be played under a normal 6.5 komi, and they were certain that both Sai and Touya intended to play it like so.

It took everyone completely by surprise when the players absolutely disregarded the rule as if their ears were deaf to the rest of the world as they nigiri. However, not a single committee in the room tried to stop them, mostly due to the electric tension sparked between the two, and they feared that if they do so much as to intrude, they might be swallowed whole. The timekeeper herself seemed a bit shaken, but she quickly regained her composure and rectified herself after no one voiced their objections. "Black will be played by Honorary Meijin Touya Kouyo, and white will be played by Fujiwara Sai Shodan."

"Please." Both players announced at the same time, voice fuelled with burning passion as they cupped their hands around the glossy wooden go-ke and placed it neatly on their right side. 

Sai straightened his back, brushing his long purple hair from his shoulders and tucked the strands neatly behind his ear before he reached for a stone, the clattering noise convincing him that he was home and that he had the power to brew a storm, to create stars, to stir the galaxy. Everything was laid out in front of him, on his fingertips. The thousand years journey he took all led him at that very place, to face a man capable of unleashing the same effect to the world.

_"I thank you, god."_ He whispered in his head, a smile blooming and he opened his eyes to see that his opponent had placed a stone on 4-4 hoshi point, an unthinkable move in the Shusaku era that showed that even if his heart might stop, Go would keep going. Ingenuity would remain ingrained in everyone's soul, and it would continue to evolve until the end of time.

"So, how will the komi even work?" Waya frowned, only to be ignored by the three men sharing the table: Shindou, Akira and Ogata. He shook his head at the attention they devoted and decided that it would be good for him to also focus. It was rather impressive that both players managed to do that, and Waya wondered if they would get into trouble later.

Sai's hand found its way to the fan concealed within his kimono and he gripped it tightly, running his thumb along the side to feel the comforting glazed wooden sensation of it as he placed a stone on the board. The two took their time to establish the opening, keeping in mind each other's playstyle in order to keep everything balanced. The first approach was initiated by Touya on Sai's lower left komoku, to which the latter replied with an attachment to black in order to keep his stones working together, and prevent black from reigning corner that Sai wanted for himself.

Touya crossed his arms and glanced at the board, slowly devising a plan in his head. The opening of the game was the most difficult of all since there were so many different ways one could play and each of them would translate differently. In case of Sai, he wanted to ensure that he wasn't playing a passive game, so he attempted to isolate Sai's hoshi stone by doing another approach that also threatened to enlarge his side territory, right after his third line stone as a response to Sai's hane.

Not wanting to be weakened, Sai prioritised defending himself over creating a larger base on the side, or even doing a counter pincer to disrupt black's potential.

The ex-Meijin focused on his breathing as he discreetly glanced at Sai. How he would respond to the tiger's mouth he just played would dictate the rest of the game. Touya had visualised it in his head. If Sai placed a stone on the third line in an attempt to create a base while allowing black the liberty of living comfortably in the bottom, he would make his first move. He would completely disrupt the balance of the whole board by playing on the top to create a massive framework for himself that would put him ahead in the early game; a priceless lead that would most definitely count when it mattered.

Sai placed the tip of his ogi fan against his lower lips as he pondered the next move. Although the most sensible move would be to try to expand his corner group, he knew that Touya wouldn't make it easy for him at all. Based on what Ogata told him, an orthodox hand simply wouldn't do against the current Touya. He would need something more aggressive than a defensive stance, and it was a thought that showered Sai with excitement. There was only one way to not give Touya what he wanted.

_"There it is."_ Touya resisted a small smile from developing on the corner of his lips when his opponent opted to play a shoulder hit that would force him to invest a stone on his existing group instead of going back to create a larger influence. The ex-Meijin knew full well that his only opponent that day wouldn't only be Sai, as the man's true talent was the way in which he was able to incorporate other's skill and fuse them together to create an overwhelming Go.

Insight; sitting in front of him now was Sai, with Ogata's shadow behind him, reading Touya's mind and relaying the vital information for Sai to utilise.

It was evident that Sai knew exactly what he was trying to pull as he lifted his head off the Go-ban to face his opponent, eyes glinting with anticipation of what to come. Touya's first plan had been foiled, and now Sai had the liberty to approach his komoku without fear of being severely weakened in one swift strike. The opening of the game ended after burning through thirty minutes of their 2 hours time limit, and from there on, the gear started turning. No one would have ever expected what awaited them.

Touya retreated to the top, pushing against white and threatening to reduce its potential before he tried to swoop down and destroy Sai's group just directly below him. At the moment, he had a stone in there, ready to be brought to life as a centrepiece of his arrangement, and it would only take Sai one stone to block black's advances to his top group for it to happen. His facial expression remained stagnant as he watched his opponent dipping his fingers into the Go-ke pensively.

Sai knew that Touya had something in mind by retreating instead of pushing, and in this game, he couldn't afford to give his opponent what he desired, as it would spell the end for him. Akira informed him that his father's games held renewed vigour, something that was amiss years prior to his retirement, and that Sai had to tread carefully if he wanted to prevent himself from falling into a trapdoor. So, he carefully inspected the board, playing out every single iteration he could at an inhuman speed that was only possible through painstakingly long practice. Then, Sai narrowed his eyes when he saw that a complex fight was about to break if he lulled himself into Touya's pace. He found himself unable to contain a small smile as he flipped open his ogi fan, not wanting his emotion to be displayed to his opponent.

When Sai played an atari on the lone black stone instead of defending his cramped territory on the top, Touya nodded lightly. The man was just as excellent as reading as he had imagined him to be, and had thwarted his attack plans so far. Prior to the match, he expected to at least realise one of them by the beginning of chuban. However, it seemed like Sai refused to spare him any quarter. And it wasn't just Sai. The move that Touya pulled wasn't entirely unorthodox. It was subtle, yet filled with landmines. To be able to evade it so gracefully like that only meant one thing.

Prudence; along with Ogata's shadow, he could see his son's, Akira, advising Sai to advance with caution.

However, Touya found that he was not at all intimidated by the elegant display of strength, yet he was devoted to lay bare the extent of his improvement, to show Sai that those two years had been one filled with the effort to better himself. From what few game records he ran through, Touya noticed that in order to fumble the man's Go, he had to be proactive in finding weaknesses and relentlessly attacking them. That would be the trickiest part of the whole game, he thought. It would be easy to overextend and be the one at a disadvantage. Against Sai, he had to find the correct balance and not letting himself be blinded by brute force. He would have to take a step back and see what he had done on the board before the rush claimed the core of his being as it might just be his undoing.

Touya wasn't about to be discouraged in the face of such a mountain. He pressured Sai into the corner, enclosing his weak group and strengthening his own in the process. He observed the board with a contemplative look never once fading away. At the moment, he was leading especially after the thick wall he built facing the centre, and the large territory potential in the upper area where it would be difficult for Sai to invade. However, he understood that there was something else hidden in Sai's arsenal. A dagger that glinted under the stars, lying dormant until the time was right for it to spring into action. Ogata and Akira's sharp swords might be able to corner him, but it wasn't enough to cut his head off. If he made the mistake of focusing too much on the two, he would miss the most fatal threat of all.

It was the Shindou concealed within Sai's Go that he had to watch out for.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dimension of the drawing is 2560 x 1440 px. Right click and open in a new tab to view the full resolution. I'm horrifyingly bad at drawing background.
> 
> I'm sad because we've reached over 3/4 of the story now! I'm not sure how many more chapters I'll be able to write. Most likely 3-5, and then I'll work on finishing [Ghost of a Chance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14103030) which is an Ogata/Sai side story.
> 
> Again, I'm using a real game for Touya and Sai's match. It's actually a popular one and I'll tell you after everything is done and dusted! I will go over Hikaru and Sai's conversation regarding the Shin-shodan match in the next chapter.
> 
> Based on Chalice's request, I decided to put in an anecdote of Sai and Touya's first meeting. If any of you have anything else you want me to address, feel free to tell me :) As usual, I appreciate any comments, kudos and bookmarks!


	16. Clamping Attachment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Arrysa and Olympia for turning chapter 14's comment section into a makeshift forum with uh... 103 comments /o\ *cries*
> 
> (No really, you guys are great <3)

"Hikaru, will you stop that?" Exasperated, Mitsuko finally decided to slap her son on the shoulder after the fifth time a cherry tomato bounced off his plate to the ground due to how Shindou tried to stab it with his fork. "I know you hate tomatoes, but you don't have to throw it everywhere."

Shindou rolled his eyes as he leaned sideways and grabbed the vegetable under the desk and chucked it to the nearest bin without so much as a word. He then continued poking the fish on his plate with mild disinterest, not even planning on putting it in his mouth. His stomach had had quite enough despite only being halfway through his dinner, thanks to nausea that churned inside him. 

"Did you lose a match?" Matsuo blinked at his son's odd behaviour and took a guess, even though it seemed unlikely that Shindou just lost. After all, he wasn't tapping his fingers against the desk to emulate the game, or even locking himself in the room.

 

Shindou rested the side of his face on his palm and sighed, curling his lips as he let go of the fork and made it clank against his plate. He shook his head lightly and glanced at the clock just above the sink. It was 6:30 PM already, and Sai was still not back yet. The man was probably far too distracted playing games against Akira and Ogata to be watching the time. He wondered if he would even be home today, considering how seriously the three had been practising lately.

Under normal circumstances, Shindou would love to join, but he had been swamped with teaching requests. Even Haze Go Club had specifically asked for him to come every now and then for a decent amount of money, something that Shindou turned down altogether since they were his friends and he was keen on watching them take down Kaio. He also had oteai match and NHK game commentary requests to attend to.

Honestly, Shindou sometimes wondered how Akira and Ogata weren't half as busy as he was, but then he remembered that both of them had been known to impulsively turn down requests in favour for something more interesting. Akira might come across as meek and a bit of a yes-man in the face of his seniors, but the boy could be really stubborn. His increasing fascination for Sai was not helping in any way. And Ogata, well, he's Ogata. He would probably drop everything in his hands if Sai called him. Honestly, it wouldn't be a surprise if the three decided to have their own little sleepover, especially with the long-anticipated Shin-shodan finally drawing near.

Shindou hoped that he would feel better after letting his emotion spill, preferably making all of his overthinking disappear. Because honestly, Shindou wanted nothing more than to sit with Sai along with Akira and Ogata without any pang of jealousy and without the creeping thought that Sai might once again leave him. Because even though Sai promised to never leave Shindou, they were just words. No one knew what the gods had in store for them.

"Hikaru!" Sai's voice cut through his ears like a jab of sword as he slammed open the entrance door and hurried into the dining room. "We need to talk." He seemed to be a little flustered if his eyes were something to go by. "Good evening, Shindou-san. I'll be borrowing Hikaru for a little while." Sai deeply bowed to Shindou's parents before grabbing the boy by the arm and practically dragged him up into his room.

"Sai—hey! Not so tight! Ow!" The boy with bleached bangs cries were muffled as soon as the door was closed behind him, leaving his parents blinking in confusion. "What's the big deal?" Shindou rubbed his reddened wrist when Sai let go of him. Before he could open his mouth to say another word, his nose was filled with lavender as Sai pulled him into a hug.

Shindou was far too surprised to say anything. The man had always been a bit touchy-feely, but the contact was a little abrupt even for his standard. For a split second, he hypothesised that Ogata and Akira had done something to him, something significant enough to upset him and cause him to storm home and drag him like that. Honestly, if it really was the case, he would unleash hell upon the two, because who in their right mind would dare lay a hand on Sai? He was as harmless as a newborn puppy.

However, amidst all the confusion, Shindou found his shoulders slowly sagging, relaxing under the man's embrace. It was one of the things that Shindou found so endearing about Sai. The way he was able to lift all of his worries away without the need for a single word. There was a soothing quality in the way he said 'Hikaru!' that he never once heard from anyone else, how his palm was warm on the back of his head and how Shindou could almost visualise his lips trembling just next to his ear from how hard Sai was trying to keep it together for his sake. For Shindou's sake. And god, he didn't deserve any of that. He was just a selfish brat who would stop at nothing to keep Sai away from happiness.

His heart constricted in his chest as he bit his lower lips in disgust at himself. From the time Sai stepped foot in the world, Shindou had done nothing but cause him inconvenience. It wasn't only now either, it was years ago when they first started their journey. Shindou had done absolutely nothing that was worthy of half the affection his teacher showered him with. All he had ever done was take and take until Sai left him. And now, Shindou feared that he might make the same mistake as last time: taking Sai's happiness away. Even now when Sai should be focusing on his match against Touya, against the only man worthy of being considered his rival, Shindou was still unable to give Sai an ease of mind.

"I'm so sorry for not realising it earlier, Hikaru." Sai's voice was close to a whisper as he pulled the boy deeper into his chest. "My match against Touya-sensei must trouble you." He continued, feeling his student trembled underneath him, hands clenching tightly on the fabric of his kimono as he repressed his tears, signifying that Sai's worry had been correct, and he felt awful for learning it this way. He had been waiting for the match with all the anticipation in the world and he couldn't imagine a better time for it, but not if it meant pushing his best friend away. "If it will bring you comfort, Hikaru, I'll—"

"NO!" Shindou screamed, voice cracked as his shoulders jerked and fingers grasped Sai's kimono even tighter. He felt shame seeping into his vein, searing him and spreading like a wildfire inside of him. He hated the idea of Sai having to go against Touya, but what he loathed even more was his inability to grant Sai the rematch that he was destined to play. As he trembled, Shindou managed to choke out words that were nothing more than pathetic whimpers. "Don't you dare." It would absolutely kill Shindou if Sai let go of such an opportunity just to make him feel a little better.

Sai pressed both of his hands on Shindou's shoulders and gently eased off the embrace, his eyes glistening as he watched the boy gritting his teeth, frown clear on his forehead. "Then tell me how I can make it better." Shindou's lips shivered in the process of trying to keep it together and Sai found himself dropping to his knees to look at the boy in the eyes. "Hikaru, it pains me to see you suffering. You should know that I would do absolutely anything in my power to see your bright smile."

"Why—" Shindou choked and he swallowed thickly, fingers making their way to cover his eyes. "Stop it. I don't—I don't deserve any of this." The boy cried out, feeling his legs giving out under his weight and he fell, only to be caught by Sai's warm hands. It only coaxed more emotion from the boy. It was how it always had been. Sai would keep him together in the face of desperation, supporting him so that he wouldn't fall head first. Sai would ensure that Shindou would be able to get back up no matter what situation he found himself in. It was especially true during the two years he left. Shindou found strength from fondly remembering Sai and how he could see his teacher's hand ingrained deep within him. "It's always you. I've never done anything for you. Yet you—" He sobbed, tears finding their way through the gap between Shindou's fingers.

"That is wrong, Hikaru." Sai choked his words out, this time emotion getting the better of him as he felt moisture overflowing inside his eyes, enough to blur his sight. "You have given me so much."

"You don't have to be—" He paused abruptly to let room for a hiccup to escape. "—so nice to me all the time, Sai." 

"Hikaru, trust me when I say that I'm not trying to comfort you out of pity." Sai pushed, this time closing the distance between his student and himself as their faces lingered merely inches away. "I truly am thankful that you were the one who found me. It's only thanks to you that I'm here right now, that I was given a second chance at life. You are the best friend I can ever ask for, and this is the least I can do to show the extent of my sincere gratitude."

Hearing the honesty in Sai's voice, all of his restraints snapped as he wailed, letting his tears fall freely onto the ground and his teacher's kimono before his arms rounded around Sai's neck. Shindou desperately clung onto Sai as if he would die if he let go. He didn't want to be selfish, he didn't want to make Sai comfort him like that when it also brought pain for him. Shindou wanted to be stronger so he could finally acknowledge that his teacher's life wasn't something for him to cling onto. Because if he kept that going and the gods intended on taking Sai back after his match against Touya, it would destroy him. No matter how hard it was for him to swallow, he had to come to terms with it as he had no power over Sai's existence.

The long-haired male was quiet as he lent his shoulder to his student, feeling Shindou's warm tears soaking through the fabric of his kimono. It was a sensation so heartbreaking that Sai himself let all of his emotion loose even after promising himself that he had to be Shindou's rock. However, if it meant that Shindou would at least cheer up a little, it would be all worth it.

Minutes passed until Shindou's hysteria finally calmed down into series of sobs and hiccups and he let go of Sai, this time looking at him red-eyed. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"It's okay, Hikaru. I understand." Sai smiled, gripping both of Shindou's shoulders reassuringly. "It had been two years for you, and only a moment for me. If it was the other way around, I would react exactly the same way." Sai paused, letting his student to soak up the words as he took a deep breath before continuing. "Besides, I have a feeling that what happened last time will not repeat itself."

Shindou blinked, sniffles yet to cease. "What do you mean?"

"I believe that my task when I was your spirit was to guide you to the right path." Sai smiled warmly, this time standing up to guide Shindou to the edge of his bed where together they sat. "When you pointed out the moves that both Touya-sensei and I missed, that was when I the clock that was frozen started to tick once more. The reason why I left was because I finished my job, which was to ensure that you realise your potential."

"So does that mean you won't leave?" Shindou opened his eyes wide, grabbing the sleeve of Sai's kimono reflexively.

The older male's eyes softened as he covered his student's hand with his own. "I can't promise anything, but you will be the first to know if I feel anything strange." Sai leaned sideways to round an arm around Shindou's back, pulling him closer towards him in an embrace. "For now, shall we have a game?"

.

 

"It seems like Fujiwara-sensei's a little behind." Akira leaned back and crossed his legs as he looked at the board in front of him pensively. "He has territory on the upper right and some framework on the right side, but comparing to father..." He trailed off after inspecting just how much centre influence black had.

"Sai is planning something," Ogata muttered while adjusting his glasses. "This stone arrangement is a little awkward up the top. Surely, someone with skill like Sai would have known better than to invade black's framework so carelessly like that. It will just strengthen it." The male pointed out, taking the attention of a few curious ears. "And he runs away to the centre after that. It's a little odd."

Shindou blinked, honestly surprised that Ogata noticed what he already did, but on a second thought, that much should be expected from the Judan. After all, he was notorious for playing an annoying Go that revolved around reading into someone's play style too much.  The boy dragged his seat closer and tucked his knees deeper under the desk as he looked at the board and simply said, "He's going for a trap on the right corner."

"A trap?" Waya frowned, trying to visualise that Shindou meant by that. It didn't look like it at all. He was already taken aback when Ogata raised his suspicion at Sai's strange stone arrangement but had dismissed it as a paranoia. After all, there was nothing wrong with poking on black's framework to try and split it up before Touya could create an even larger territory. Strengthening an opponent was necessary sometimes.

"Yeah, see?" Shindou hovered around an area with his fingers. "He's aiming for symmetry, and then he'll strike."

"He's going to _let_ Touya-sensei build another wall to the centre?" Ogata looked at Shindou with a furrowed brow, his arms crossed as if trying to interrogate the boy. The crowd around the table slowly started to become larger as the foreigners finally noticed that sitting together were Ogata Meijin-Judan, Shindou Gosei and Touya Akira, Sai's supposedly closest friends. If anyone would know what the legend had in mind, it would be them.

"Would you mind playing out this 'trap' you are talking about, Shindou-sensei?" One of them glanced at the board curiously, followed by nods from the others.

"Uh, this is just a hypothesis." The boy with bleached bangs scratched the back of his head before going for a stone. "Most of you are probably thinking that Sai's trying to make use of this cutting point over here." He pointed at 11-13. "But if you see clearly, if black plays the shoulder hit here, white will definitely be in trouble. I've known Sai long enough to know that he would never take the chance unless he has something planned. So if we see here..." He muttered, placing a few stones on the board. "It's probably gonna go something like this?" Shindou said as he completed the variation inside his head.

"This looks bad for white," Akira said. "Shouldn't white just connect up here to take the top territory and let black develop the centre?"

"That's the thing that I'm trying to figure out." Shindou crossed his arms. "Sai won't be happy with the outcome. If all he wanted was to take territory, he wouldn't go to this length. He'd take the fight somewhere else, somewhere that will net him more points."

"It is a little tame." Ogata leaned back in the chair. "And Sai's been waiting a long time for this rematch. He won't be satisfied with just this."

"But to gamble everything like this is a bit risky, isn't it?" Waya cut in. "I mean, it's Touya-sensei we're talking about! One wrong move and you're gone."

Shindou curled his lips as he turned to face the brunette. "Sai won't make any mistakes! The fact that he's giving this a go means that he can confidently predict where Touya-sensei's going to play."

"No, I agree that it is a risky play," Ogata said. "I've done all I can to tell Sai about Touya-sensei's Go, but Sai's not the only one who's improving. If Touya-sensei is being himself, he would have done a lot of studying too."

"Hm," Akira hummed, deep in thought. "I think Fujiwara-sensei has the advantage." He blinked towards Shindou. "Touya-sensei has been strengthening himself the two years that Fujiwara-sensei remained dormant, that's true. However, Fujiwara-sensei does not have many official game records, and there's only so much father could have learned from opponents whose skills don't even compare to that of Fujiwara-sensei."

"It's still going to be a close game, I think," Waya muttered as his eyes focused on the screen once more.

Sai played calmly. He had a goal in mind that he wished to realise and he just hoped that Touya wouldn't thwart that all-or-nothing scheme of his. Of course, Sai could just play Go like he usually would and the match wouldn't be any less brilliant. However, Sai understood that Touya had evidently improved after analysing his recent kifu, and it would be a dishonour if he didn't try to at least acknowledge his metamorphosis by putting his new weapon on a display too. In the span of the few months, Sai had played countless of games with his student, whose Go had truly fascinated him. It was simple, yet adorned with landmines that could only be developed through trial and error. The boy was never afraid to try out new ideas and although it was the main reason for his and Akira's constant bickering, it was his main source of strength.

Truly, such refreshing approach to Go inspired Sai to the point where he wished to incorporate Shindou's play style too. His student was more than happy to run Sai through his thought processes, and the extent of reading ability displayed by Shindou mesmerised Sai. It wasn't only ingenuity and persistence that awarded him with such a dangerous Go, but it was also his latent talent for memory and visualisation. A Go like Shindou's would never be possible unless the player ticked all of the boxes. A rare gem indeed. Beautiful and simply terrifying.

However, Sai believed that he wasn't any less gifted than Shindou. Through a thousand years, his reading ability surpassed that of his student's. Sai had seen countless of games to believe that creativity was the true driving force behind Go and that in order to play the game as it was intended to be played, one had to not conform to the standard moves. So, he practised laying down traps so indiscreet and invisible no one would ever see it coming. This day would be the first time that he finally would use it in an official match. Under normal circumstances, he would hesitate from using a weapon that he had yet to test as it would be a blatant disrespect for a skill such as Touya's. However, Sai came as prepared as he could ever be, equipped with a detailed and thorough rundown of what Touya was capable of. He was confident that he would be able to put up an exciting fight.

Touya observed the board with narrow eyes, concentration not once escaping his grasp. At the moment, he envisioned himself to be in the lead, especially with thick wall already surrounding the centre whereas Sai only managed to take smaller corner territory and no strong influence in the centre. It was a curious play and Touya couldn't help overthinking it. After all, it was Sai that he was going up against. The man would have been able to prevent himself from being trapped in such a predicament. It was almost as if he wanted to be at a disadvantage.

_"Surely it's not the reverse komi that he's worried about."_ Touya mulled to himself, taking a quick glance at his opponent. From the beginning of the match, he assumed that Sai had arrived with the determination to play at his full strength, not under handicap and judging by the way Sai's eyes seemed to be fully focused on the board with no reluctance seeping out of him, his assumption must have been correct. That only meant that Sai was up to something. Something that Touya couldn't see.

Was this something that he warned himself to watch out for?

Touya found his right hand gripping his left arm tightly under the sleeves of the kimono. After Ogata and Akira, was Shindou finally about to make his appearance and complete Sai at last? Was he still going to be taken by surprise even after he expected an elaborate trap over the Go-ban? The uncertainty seared through his blood, warmed him up and picked up the pace of his heart. Touya hadn't felt the rush ever since his game against Sai those years ago, and to experience it once more was unreal. He stepped into the match expecting a great game, an exceptional one and so far it proved to be just as splendid as he had imagined it to be.

_"The ladder is good,"_ Sai noted as he descended instead of giving black the liberty to swallow his stone. They exchanged a few more moves with Touya attempting an attack on Sai's group and Sai strengthening his stones on the right side. Sai was well aware that the situation now favoured black due to the numerous aji he could exploit. Sai had to give no ground from here on. It was going to be a harsh battle, but he chose his side and he was going to see it through to the very end.

Touya's eyes continued to narrow as yet another move was placed on the board. Something felt terribly off but he couldn't put his fingers on it. To a normal viewer, it might seem like two very skilled Go players were jabbing at each other with one of them finally finding the lead. However, for more trained eyes, especially those who were familiar with the level of Sai's games would have been able to tell that the man wasn't playing like himself. And it was in no way unintentional. Touya could see it from his eyes. The man planned for this to happen, which only meant that he would be in for a rough surprise if he couldn't figure out Sai's mind.

_"Am I focusing too much on this section?"_ His eyes moved to the bottom where white seemed to have no presence. _"Is he planning to strike here once he has built a strong wall at the top?"_ Touya gauged his option. At the moment there were three moves that he considered playing. 11-9, a defensive move that would dishearten white from crawling down to the bottom while trying to enclose himself, 10-10 if he was convinced that Sai would be playing to destroy his centre and if Touya wanted to make sure Sai's stone was completely dead, and the one that he favoured was 11-11. It was balanced and flexible, allowing him to respond adequately if something took him by surprise.

Sai's expression remained unreadable as he covered his lips with his fan, this time threatening to cut through black's shape.

The mood was thick in the viewing area although not as tense as it was in the Yuugen no Ma. Shindou found it harder to breathe as time ticked on. He swallowed thickly as Touya responded to Sai's last move with something that he was expecting.

Ogata and Akira glanced at the clearly nervous boy, noting how his fists were clenched tightly on his lap and how his brows furrowed tensely. After a pregnant pause, Shindou broke out a forced grin, as if trying to stop himself from bursting in anticipation. "I can feel it," He whispered, not once tearing his sight away from the screen. "It's coming."

Sai's couldn't resist a small smile behind his fan as he watched Touya pondering his next move. It made his heart thunder in his chest, knowing that if he played right into his hand it would be quite troublesome for the man to recover—not an impossible feat for a man of Touya's calibre, however. _"Hikaru, can you see what I'm about to do?"_ Sai whispered to himself, hoping that his student would be able to learn a thing or two from his game. Sai's trap was not perfect, not as effective and formidable as Shindou's who was able to completely turn a battle to his favour after his opponent stepped on his landmine. Sai was learning the ropes. At the moment, all his trap could achieve was to take a slight lead for himself while surprising the opposing player. Nevertheless, a small lead would be more than enough for him. He was confident in his skill to not let victory slip out of his grasp, no matter how faint the glimmer was.

Sai made use of his polished reading skill to find the one move that would guarantee his chances and any players without the visualisation skill that he possessed would not be able to see it, but he knew that if anyone could, it would be his student.

"That's an excellent move," Ogata murmured when he saw that Touya didn't go for the atari. "He completely fixed that cutting point and the potential lack of liberty."

"And now Fujiwara-sensei can't kill black. He would need two forcing moves, but I doubt that father is going to allow him that luxury." Akira continued after doing a little bit of reading himself. "This is really well played by black." He glanced at Shindou, waiting for the boy to dispute the theory and come up with a way for white to escape the predicament. Akira and Ogata couldn't find such move, and if Shindou really knew what Sai was trying to do, then he was their best hope at finding an answer.

Shindou was well aware of the expectations that suddenly were placed on his shoulders as he took a deep breath and held still, eyes scouring the board. There must be something that he missed. Something that would allow Sai to bounce back and make life somehow. He knew that something was about to occur soon, but he couldn't figure out how and where for the life of him.

_"A move that will complete the constellation. Yes, a move that will tie the white pieces together. Can you see it, Hikaru?"_ Sai smiled softly, taking a glance at Touya who seemed like he knew something was coming through the way his eyes glinted with both anticipation and wariness. _"So subtle and so insignificant, you will miss it if you do not know my true intention."_ With his heart pounding hard against his chest, Sai bit the inside of his lower lip, wondering if Touya could see it. He was so close, Sai could see it in his eyes.

Sai found himself trapped in the middle of a dilemma. Part of him wanted to complete his trap and take the satisfaction of victory in his hands, but the other part of him wanted Touya to read out the game and completely thwart Sai's plan, in which case it would be his complete loss and he would admit defeat right there. The two sides of him played a tug of war inside of him, and Sai wasn't sure which idea he liked more. To prove to Touya that he was also not done evolving yet, or to see for himself that his rival had surpassed him, as slight as it might be. 

Shindou took a deep breath and he felt his head suddenly cleared itself and his finger involuntarily moved to a spot on the board. A spot that felt right once he emptied his mind and focus on thinking from Sai's point of view. something that was only possible from spending time with the man. Funny how it seemed so obvious now Shindou saw it. All he had to do was do what he had always done whenever he felt at loss during a match, think about what Sai would do.

"Here," Shindou said without as much as a warning.

And Sai played at that spot.

Shindou knew it. With that move, Sai would slash through the entire board in one swift motion, completely diminishing black altogether and take the mantle of lead for himself. The room was completely silent as they ran their heads through the move before everyone let out a collective gasp of surprise.

Akira was the first to speak up. "This..." He swallowed thickly. "This completes it."

"White completely halved the board." Ogata gulped, Adam's apple bobbing in process. "No matter where Touya-sensei plays, Sai will be able to capture these two stones, effectively cutting his whole framework."

Touya's eyes widened as soon as the move was played. His mind churned countless of possibilities and he knew that a trap was about to come. However, he didn't expect it so _soon_ and so perfectly timed and to be so _effective_. Sai's stone would render his cluster into a horrifying shape while finally taking advantage of the cutting point that he set up early on in the game. The two forcing moves that he classified as a threat no longer came back to stab him in the back while he was the most vulnerable. Despite all of his effort to open his eyes and observe his surroundings, he failed to see the sharpest sword that he had been expecting.

The Shindou within Sai, a Go so ingenious that Touya could see that it wasn't only Shindou who was rapidly improving. The boy had taken Sai's hand and shared his warmth with his teacher, familiarising him with his youthfulness and squirmed it into Sai's Go to create a deadly combination of skill and creativity.

Sai, a quick learner who was so skilful he could incorporate anything into his arsenal and turn it into his own weapon. Ogata, a man with fearsome skill of insight that it almost seemed like he could read minds and _become_ his opponent. Akira, a prodigy with an outstanding sense of Go he could sense threats, know what to watch out for and replied with hands so rigid and careful, slowly chipping his opponent. And the most fearsome of all, Shindou, Sai's other half, the source of his strength whose Go resembled that of his teacher's that it was a simple task for him to introduce him into such a deadly play style, that if mastered, would force even the strongest of opponents to their knees.

And the three completed Sai, fixing any holes that Touya might have been able to take advantage of, hammering his Go into absolute perfection and it was _breathtaking._

Touya had no choice but to deem his territory in the centre a loss, and descended down where white was scarce, hoping that he would be able to turn the tide around once more. Sai wasn't about to give him a warning slash whatsoever, judging from the way his eyes seemed to sear his fingertips as he placed a stone. Sai intended to cut his head off and end the game with his absolute victory. Touya was ready. He wouldn't go down without a fight.

"We're in byo-yomi now." Waya murmured tensely, seeing how the two had burned up their two hours limit while still being in mid-game. It was as if they thought they were playing with an eight hours limit like in title matches.

All across the rooms, people busied themselves with discussing Sai's splendid move, not disappointed that they purchased return tickets to Japan in order to view this Shin-shodan match. Touya was also playing an excellent game worthy of his reputation, keeping up with Sai with calm demeanour even after the shocking move that swept everyone off their feet. The rest of the match was played in a quick succession much to everyone's dismay, as they now only had one minute per turn.

It wasn't any less exciting than the first half. Even with the time restriction looming over their shoulders, they played impressive hands after impressive hands. Everyone was kept on the edge of their seat as the two entered yose. The lead was still somewhat tilted to white, but black gave no ground as he relentlessly pushed and prodded on white's shape with a force that left dents in Sai's structure.

Touya felt the warmth of solace showering him as he closed his eyes and smiled, taking a white stone from the lid of his Go-ke and placed it in the middle of the board. The two years wait had been more than rewarding.

.

"Sai!" Shindou exclaimed when he finally saw his teacher in front of the Yuugen no Ma. They had personally made their way up there before anyone else could as they would hate it if they couldn't be the first ones to congratulate him. "That was _awesome!_ " He thoughtlessly charged into his teacher and took him in a tight hug, his soul touched at the masterpiece he had the honour of seeing.

Touya chuckled at the display of unfiltered excitement, watching Sai rounding his arms around Shindou's back and lifted the boy up in the air just as eagerly.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Hikaru!" The long-haired male put the boy down, streaks of red on his cheeks when he remembered that his opponent was still standing next to him. Sai looked over Shindou's shoulder to spot Akira who was reluctantly stepping forward as if unsure of what to say. It was a natural thing. After all, his father was standing in front of him and if he congratulated Sai for his victory, it would be a little awkward. "And thanks to you too, Touya-kun." Sai decided to say.

"Oh, my pleasure, Fujiwara-sensei," He replied hesitantly. "It was a great game. Truly." Akira looked at his father and smiled, remembering the time that he would see Touya sitting alone in front of the Go-ban, waiting for a rematch against an opponent who he learned was Sai. "The wait must have been worth it."

Touya nodded almost immediately, expression no less than sincere satisfaction and answered shortly yet firmly. "Yes."

"It was an amazing game, Sai. Touya-sensei." Ogata regarded the two with repressed emotion although his shoulders said otherwise from the way they trembled. The bespectacled man gazed at his teacher in respect, giving it up to him for playing such a solid game before eyes shifting towards Sai with admiration and adoration. Sai was truly a genius, and Ogata felt honoured to be able to interact with the man, playing against him on almost a daily basis.

"Your advice has been most helpful, Seiji." Sai smiled warmly at the man who blinked at him, at loss of what to say as the long-haired male leaned in to give him a soft hug.

"Ah," Ogata's cheeks reddened slightly as his entire body jolted at the contact. He could see Shindou cracking up at how Ogata's hands hovered in uncertainty behind Sai. It showed that the man wasn't a hugger and that Sai was invading his personal space.

"So how does it feel to have your personal bubble invaded?" The boy smirked smugly, arms crossed. "Not fun, right?"

Ogata rolled his eyes as he slowly regained his composure, watching Sai giggled along with Shindou. "Oh, funny, huh?" This time, Akira joined the other two.

"Sorry," Akira chuckled.

Touya watched the interaction between the four bright players in front of him with soft eyes, seeing how well they complement each other and he felt himself being overwhelmed with anticipation. Shindou and Akira were close friends, that much he knew. The two constantly strive to improve themselves, helping each other out in the process even amidst their many arguments. However, what surprised him was the fact that Sai managed to mellow Ogata's stoicism and loosened him up. With the four working together, the Go world was in for a pleasant surprise.

Touya looked forward to seeing just what Sai would be able to mould out of their limitless potential.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHT. One more chapter down! A few more left to go :) Still have no idea how to wrap this up, but I'll just go with the flow.
> 
> Thanks for reading this chapter. Please leave kudos/comments if you guys enjoyed it ^_^ I hope I didn't drag on the match for too long... I hate rambling. But I guess I rambled through the entire fanfic. Pfft. WHATEVER.


	17. Counting Territories

It wasn't easy and certainly wasn't pretty, but after a good few hours, Sai managed to slink his way out of the adoring crowd and took the opportunity to take a deep breath, free of bodies squishing into him and constantly demanding answers to their many questions. It wasn't that Sai disliked the idea of having so many great international players asking for games so abruptly. He just wanted to have some time to himself to review the game he just played quietly. Preferably only surrounded by his students and Touya himself.

Somewhere amidst the chaos, Sai managed to lose Shindou who had been adamant about keeping him company. Before long, a few managed to track him back down and quickly made their way towards the internet legend who was too occupied looking left and right for his friends.

"Fujiwara-sensei, that was a fabulous game! I'm truly touched!" One of them exclaimed in joy and grabbed Sai's hand instantaneously and shook it rigorously. "Ah, we are so glad that you finally decided to go professional. Putting a face to a name is pleasant indeed!"

"A-ah," Sai stammered, feeling a little crowded once more as a few people cornered him. "Thank you, but I really should-"

"That move was just  _brilliant_. I can scarcely believe that you're only 25 years old! I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it with my own two eyes. You're a new era Honinbo Shusaku." Another one cut in, accent thick.

"Thank you, but I need to go. Hikaru's waiting for me." The shodan tried his hardest to put his foot down only to be overwhelmed once more and he almost sighed in resignation at that point, if not for the hand that roughly gripped his wrist and pulled him away.

"Excuse me, but I need to borrow him for a moment." Ogata's voice was low as he glared at the group until they flinched and decided to run off, not wanting to have anything to do with the Judan renowned for his streak of bluntness. Sometimes they wondered if he was a boss of the Yakuza or something. "Come on, Shindou's worried to death and I think he's going to start crying soon."

"Oh, thank you, Seiji!" Sai exhaled in relief at the familiar warmth seeping inside of him as they made their way towards the elevator and down to a restricted area, reserved specifically for Sai, Touya and a few selected others for the post-match discussing that the committee believed they would love to do.

When they entered, they were greeted by a few people around surrounding a Go-ban, Touya sitting on one side and he looked up, smiling at his rival whose hair a little messy after being pushed around by his adoring fans. "You escaped, Fujiwara-sensei." He chuckled with amusement, thinking that they would have to wait another hour so before Sai finally made his appearance.

"By miracle!" Sai responded rather restlessly as he took a seat on the other side of the board and patted the strands of his hair back to their original position.

"Sai, are you feeling alright?" Shindou grabbed his teacher on the shoulder, wanting to know for sure that he wasn't about to leave. His heart was pounding as he waited for an answer, although surprisingly not as hysterical as he thought he would've been when Sai got swallowed by the crowd and disappeared. Perhaps deep within him, he knew that nothing was about to happen to his teacher.

Seeing the much more composed look on his student's face, Sai covered Shindou's hand with his own and nodded lightly. "I have never felt better, Hikaru." The sincerity on his voice must have come across perfectly as Shindou smiled in relief and sat back down, this time keen to discuss the game played by two of the most skilled players in the whole world.

The room was filled with all five of Sai's students as well as a few other international professionals that Touya had allowed in. The discussion seemed like it would be rather chaotic, especially with so many bright minds having their own two cents.

However, it was just a small glimpse of what to come, Shindou soon realised. From that point on, he would have so many more opportunity to learn alongside his most cherished teacher and finally saw just what storm he would cause in the world of Go. He couldn't help a small smile from blooming on his lips as they started their post-game discussion.

The professionals soon lost track of time as they dissected everything move by move and never before Shindou saw so many people collectively being fired up over one thing until the sun set and they realised that it was night already.

There were still people in the lobby who waited for Sai to re-appear, although not as many as there were previously. The man merely smiled although quickly excused himself after a short polite conversation and the foreigners gladly let him go. Perhaps due to the less-than-pleasant aura radiating from all of his students, telling anyone who dared to come near Sai to scram and not return until he regained all of his strength back.

"Thank you for the brilliant game, Fujiwara-sensei," Touya regarded before he stepped into the taxi. "I hope we will have another match very soon. I fear that this is not enough to sate my thirst."

"I feel the same way, Touya-sensei." Sai bowed lightly in respect and although the fire in his eyes had mostly subsided, a glimpse of ember was still visible. "I will not mind even a practice match. It's very refreshing to play an all-out game against someone of your calibre."

"I would be honoured." The older male nodded as they finally parted way, leaving the group of six to watch the taxi slowly disappearing among other vehicles.

"Oh man, my heart's still going crazy." Waya exhaled loudly, placing a hand on his chest and clutched the fabric covering it.

Isumi followed suit as he looked at the brunette and let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding for hours. It felt very liberating to be able to finally be rid of the tension between Sai and Touya, even after their match had long finished. It was impressive at the start but as time flew by incredibly slowly, he found out that even just being in the same room as them when they were playing was enough to tire him out. "I doubt it was any worse for you than it was for me."

Shindou grinned and slapped Isumi on the shoulder. "Now you've seen Sai at his most serious. Still wanna see it again?"

The raven-haired professional scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Perhaps not for another week or so?"

"Weakling!" The Gosei laughed as he stormed towards Sai and this time hitting him in the arm. "Let's celebrate your win. What do you want for dinner, Sai?"

Sai placed his finger on his cheek and tilted his head sideways, unsure. Ogata glanced at the man and let smoke escape from his lips. "There's a good hotpot restaurant around here. We can just go there."

And so the six decided to head to the mentioned restaurant and was quickly seated. Soon after, they busied themselves with talking about international Go championships and Sai's first oteai match until their food arrived.

"Are you getting any awards this year, Touya?" Shindou asked even though his mouth was full of food.

"Low-dan excellency award," The boy answered, putting some beef into his mouth using the chopsticks provided. "I was hoping to take the longest winning streak, but seems like Kurata-sensei has me beat this year."

"Well yeah. He plays more matches than you do," Shindou shrugged as he filled up his bowl once more. "What about you guys?"

"High-dan excellency and Meijin." Ogata answered shortly before bringing his bowl to his lips and sipped on the warm broth.

"Nothing." Waya sighed. Comparing to the rest of the group, he was perhaps the weakest player there and he felt a little self-conscious. He was grateful that Sai had kindly offered to take him under his wings and he only hoped that he wouldn't disappoint the man.

"Ah, I'm receiving the low-dan consistency," Isumi followed up, feeling rather proud to be receiving such glory for his constant high-level performance among the lower dans. "What about you, Shindou?"

"Well, I'm getting my Gosei award, of course, and low-dan improvement," He puffed out his chest in pride and glanced at Sai who smiled warmly at him. "Anyway, I heard that the next Hokuto cup has been decided. It's gonna be the last time we can join before we pass the baton, huh? I wonder who'll take our place." Shindou muttered thoughtfully. There hadn't been any news of any ridiculous younger players making it to the professional scene for the past few years. 

"Have you been in contact with Yashiro?" Akira asked as he leaned in to take another bunch of enoki mushroom from the pot.

"Yeah, a bit. We played some NetGo just a few weeks ago. I heard he's doing pretty good over there. He said something about coming to Tokyo next month?"

"Oh!" Sai quickly cut at the mention of the boy's name. "Is he the third player for Hokuto cup? His Go is very interesting!" He continued, remembering seeing some of his game records from the aforementioned international match. "I'd love to have a chance to play him."

"I knew you'd say that. He's dying to play you too."

Ogata who had been silent for most of the conversation decided to finally glance at the group with mild interest. "There's a rumour that there's going to be an all-age Hokuto Cup. It appears that the 18 and under has been very successful in encouraging more international games."

Sai's eyes immediately sparkled at the thought of playing other players that he would generally not have the chance to. The Koreans were supposedly very strong, after all, and Sai could hardly believe that he wouldn't be running out of great games any time soon. "Will I be able to join too, Seiji?!" He asked vigorously, making the Judan chuckled with mirth at the expected excitement.

"Sure. I don't see why they won't choose you. It's going to be like the existing Hokuto Cup. 8 players with the best performance will be hand-picked and pitted against each other to get the top three."

"Aw man!" Shindou scratched the back of his head. "That means I have to choose one or the other?"

Ogata let out a repressed laughter. "Not like you'd get chosen anyway." Akira chuckled along with the bespectacled man, followed by Waya and Isumi.

"Oh, that's it! I'm going to kick your ass to oblivion the next time we play!" Shindou's cheeks were red in annoyance when he saw that everyone had burst out laughing.

"He's telling the truth, Shindou," Akira giggled and took a sip of water. "It's unfortunate, but I doubt there are any other 18 and under to take our place if we do get chosen for the other. So, they most likely will keep us out. There's always next year."

"I guess." The boy muttered although halfheartedly.

"So, when's the first study session, Fujiwara-sensei?" Waya grinned in anticipation all while taking more food from the slowly emptying pot. Ogata and Isumi had both got up from their seats to grab some more ingredients to put inside

"What about tomorrow?" Sai clapped both of his hands together, already unable to resist the thought of teaching his brilliant students, brimming with potential, all for him to mould as he deemed fit. "Seiji said that we can use his apartment."

"I suppose it's the most feasible." Akira nodded in agreement. They could technically use his house due to the large space, but he doubted that they would get any studying done if they were accompanied by the intensity that would swell once his father and Sai came eye-to-eye once more.

Regardless, he looked forward to finally sit with Sai and witness just what kind of magic he would be able to work on him and the others. The path was looking promising for all five of them.

.

Sai had been anticipating his first oteai match. He wanted to see how far he could take the new weapon that his student introduced him to. It was still like treading on water for him and he feared that he might slip somewhere in the process, but he was ready to learn as much as he could and he hoped that his opponent wouldn't mind him not playing his usual Go. After all, it was to be his first step on taking in as much knowledge as he could regarding the modern world Go.

Sai had a huge smile on his face as he relished in the game, enjoying the skill that his match that day displayed. It wasn't only that. He understood that as he played more matches and broke through the low-dan rank, he would be able to play even stronger opponents. He learned that even though he could play thousands of games with his own hands, in his own time, it still wasn't enough to sate his thirst. He wanted to play Touya once more on a grander stage and against international players, the ones who helped to shape the world of Go in that era. The Koreans, the Chinese, even Westerners started to pick up the game and it was a concept so foreign yet so comforting to him.

Even after a thousand years, the amount of love that Go received had not diminished. Quite the contrary, it spread throughout the world.

Sai placed the tip of his ogi fan fondly as he felt warmth settling in him, unaware of his surroundings. For him, there was only the Go-ban, stones and a good game. Sai's hands were relaxed as he placed one stone after the other, feeling the dents caused by his opponent's moves. They were decent, but not nearly enough to crumble his defences. When Sai made a move that punished him for his over-extension, he spared a moment to glance at the man's demeanour and was surprised to see that he was shivering, cheeks red and eyes widening. His hand trembled inside the Go-ke, making the content clatter noisily against each other.

The shodan blinked in confusion at the unexpected reaction he witnessed. His opponent wasn't shaking in fear or disappointment at his own game but in repressed anger. Sai wasn't entirely sure where the other male was directing it at, as he continuously bit his lower lip until he finally shifted to give Sai a sharp glare.

"Why," He spat out, bitterly whispering so that no one else but the addressed professional would be able to hear him. "Why does a man like you _exist_? What do you want to gain from turning pro so late? Do you enjoy trampling others that much?"

"I... No. Of course not!" Sai gasped, a little offended at the suggestion that he was the type of person who would do such inhuman act.

"All you're going to do is crush all of your opponents. I don't understand how you can play with... with _that_ skill but it's not fair." He wheezed, trying his best to not speak any louder. "You're only 25. You play better than Touya-sensei. It... it's unfair. What have I been working so hard for?"

Sai couldn't believe what he was hearing. He tried his best to come up with a way to explain that Go wasn't all about age and that some people were just born with more talent for it than others. The people who loved Go and made it through the sheer power of their determination alone were worthy of much more respect than those who took it easy due to their superior reading talent. However, he couldn't. They were in the middle of a match and it was hardly the time and place for such discussion. Professionals should already know this fact.

"You..." The man started once more, this time louder than before. Enough to make a few others look their way. "You're cheating, aren't you?"

Sai's stomach sank.

"Yeah... yeah. That must be it. You're a cheater!"

Sai wanted to deny the accusation but he found that his throat was clogged with pain. His shoulders trembled at the almost-repeat of the incident a thousand years ago and he felt a gutting sensation in his stomach. Lips shivering, he tried his best to compose himself so he could finish the game despite the agonising memory that flooded him, ripping open the wound that was almost closed. His opponent's voice echoed in his ears and everything seemed to pass by in a slow motion until he could hear nothing but muffles.

 _"H-Hikaru..."_ Sai clenched the fabric of his kimono that covered his lap tightly, feeling a tidal wave of helplessness suddenly washed over him.

"Shut your mouth." Came a voice that was low but filled with unrepressed fury that snapped Sai out of his trance. "Sai would  _never_ cheat. I don't care how you deal with your own incompetence, but no one wants to hear it." Next to Sai, stood Ogata who had been playing his oteai match in the same room. He crouched down to reach Sai's level and glanced at him with stern eyes but quickly melted when he saw how shaken the shodan was.

"I agree. There is no way that someone who loves Go as much as Fujiwara-sensei would do such a disgusting thing." Waya stood up from his seiza and approached Sai, standing behind him, followed closely by Isumi who was also present that day.

The man sitting opposite Sai started to tremble at how the whole room seemed to glare at him with an aura of animosity and he choked out words of apology but they were so inaudible no one could hear it.

Luckily enough, it was time for a thirty minutes lunch break. Ogata took the opportunity to place one of his hand on Sai's back and exhaled softly as he eased him up to a standing position and walked outside but not without giving his opponent one last sharp glare and mouthed "Scum."

They settled in a more private space tucked away in the corner where the four sat together in silence, watching how Sai still seemed significantly shaken at the event that just unfolded. Waya and Isumi exchanged worried glances but otherwise did nothing except hoping that their teacher would be able to regain his bearing soon.

 _"I didn't cheat."_ Sai chanted to himself, eyes shut tightly as the event that occurred a thousand years ago replayed before him. _"I'm fine. It's not like how it was back then."_ He whispered to himself once more as he tried his hardest to convince himself that nothing grave would arise from the situation. However, it proved to be close to impossible as he felt himself slowly being eaten alive by the memory, still as fresh as if it only happened yesterday. Sai was suffocated as he vividly felt water enveloping him and drowning his lungs until he could no longer breathe.

"Sai," Ogata started, placing a hand on the man's shoulder and he finally opened his eyes to look at the three in front of him, lips had yet to stop shivering from the moment he left the match room.

"Seiji?" He blinked after taking a large breath. Sai's hands flew to grasp Ogata's hand and tugged on his suit jacket as if holding on for dear life. Seeing how dishevelled his friend seemed to be, Ogata's heart softened in an instant and he leaned in to take him into a hug where he could vividly feel just how much he was trembling. His breathing was unsteady as if he couldn't catch enough oxygen.

Seeing the two, both Waya and Isumi decided that it was time to leave them alone. So, they turned and left, trusting Ogata to handle Sai as he seemed to be the one closest to him out of the three.

The bespectacled was unsure as to why Sai reacted the way he did when the accusation was clearly false. He wondered if it surfaced a traumatic memory from the past but nothing that he came up with could explain the situation. Surely, in this time and age, anyone with decent enough skill would be able to pick up in such dishonourable act. However, Ogata didn't know anything about Sai's past to start speculating anything specific.

Sai took a deep breath and finally loosened his grip on the Judan as he pulled back, still refusing to look at the man in the eyes.

"I must apologise, Seiji," He choked out, voice broken and tattered that Ogata wanted to tell him to stop talking. The long-haired male tentatively glanced at him, teeth chattering ever so slightly.

Ogata's expression mellowed as he took a seat next to Sai and gripped his hand tightly, trying his best to reassure him that he was there for him. "What happened?" He asked, half-whispering, unable to steel himself to sternly advise the man next to him regarding the importance of setting his foot down when the time called for it. Sai might come off a little meek but after spending time with him, Ogata knew full well that Sai was perfectly capable of defending himself.

Sai bit his lower lips and closed his eyes, unable to withhold the truth from someone who he came to call a precious friend any longer. He whispered a silent apology to Shindou as his lips parted. "I was accused of cheating in a game before," He paused, fingers clenching his kimono, unable to bring himself to face Ogata. "I lost and was shamed. I was driven out of the capital and, ah..."

Ogata raised his eyebrows at the deliberate silence but said nothing, still refusing to move his hand away from Sai's.

"I drowned myself."

There was a pregnant silence inside the very still hallway as the bespectacled male attempted to compute whatever it was that Sai just said to him. He quickly snapped his head towards the long-haired male with a thousand questions floating in his head. Surely anyone with sense would be able to tell that Sai would never cheat? Why did it drive him to commit suicide? Was it the cause of his illness? What capital was he talking about? Did he come from a foreign country?

Ogata never managed to voice out his many queries as Sai continued. "Seiji, the reason why no one knew about me and why I appear to be extremely skilled despite my young age is because for a thousand years, I have been nothing but a restless spirit."

"W...What?" The bespectacled male stammered, taking his time to inspect Sai, still with a pained look on him. Ogata gulped. Was this what Akira meant by the explanation being difficult to comprehend? Was this truly... the truth? Ogata was prepared for anything, he initially thought but now he found his mind scraping for any streaks of superstition to grasp on. It was excruciatingly difficult but he knew that Sai would never lie to him. Not during a situation such as this.

"I am Honinbo Shusaku and four years ago, I am Shindou Hikaru."

Ogata's heart seemed to momentarily stop as he processed the information regarding Sai's mysterious past, and despite it being laid out to him on a silver platter, he was unable to take a bite. _Sai_ was _Shusaku_? Sure, the man had been dubbed as Shusaku of the modern era and the 12 years old Shindou had been far too exceptional for his age, but... this was a lot, almost too much for his far-too-logical mind to swallow.

"Seiji, I know that this is difficult to comprehend, but trust me when I say that I have no intention of mocking you. I am telling you the honest truth."

It all made sense. That was what scared Ogata the most. It was as if the fact that Sai had been a ghost all this time was the last piece of the puzzle he needed for everything to fall into place. The blond placed his finger against his lips as he inhaled loudly.

"I know you're not lying." He finally said.

Sai's stomach sank at the tone of resignation. "You don't believe it."

Ogata turned and locked eyes with Sai firmly, this time gripping Sai's hand a little tighter than before. "But I believe  _you_. And that's reason enough for me to not doubt a thing."

The long-haired male finally burst out a small smile as he leaned against Ogata, a single droplet of tear falling from the corner of his eye. "That means a lot to me, Seiji. Thank you."

There would be no repeat of what happened last time. This time, he wasn't alone.

Ogata found himself relaxing under the sudden contact and warmth over his shoulder and he nodded, this time turning to look at Sai with a glint of mischief. "Now go back to the match hall and kick some serious ass."

.

"Hey, Touya," Shindou murmured as he placed a black stone on the Go-ban. The addressed male tilted his head upwards to gaze at his rival whose focus seemed to be dedicated to the board but eyes distant. "Do you believe in fortune telling?"

Narrowing his eyes at the unusual question, Akira pursed his lips and decided to play another move before replying. "I haven't given it much thought, but if it's a yes or no question, I suppose I will give you a tentative yes. It depends on the context."

"Hmm, really." Shindou hummed, sounding halfway between mild interest and idle acknowledgement. Akira eyed him a little longer but quickly got distracted by the game they were playing. Scratching the back of his head in frustration, Shindou tried his best to call bullshit on the old lady that he encountered that day when he went to the shopping district to pick up a few books after school. He had never been one for fortune telling but if ghosts were real and they were able to return to life, surely a little bit of superstition was called for, right?

_"When you hurt, you are not the only one hurting."_

Was it just some sort of fleeting comment meant to be ignored or was it a message from the higher deity for him to uncloak? Shindou shook his head as he tried to not overthink it. He didn't even _know_ what she meant by that. He had never been the one for riddles.

Akira pressed his fingers to his chin as he observed the board and he exhaled. "I resign." Shindou's middle game was far too sharp for him to handle and he knew that he had a strong yose too, so there was no plausible way for him to catch up. Looking up to see his rival, he sensed the restlessness that radiated from him as he cleared the board to make way for a post-game analysis.

After the tenth move, Shindou's hand stopped moving and he resorted to inhaling deeply instead and scratched the corner of his lips, then he stood up. "I'm gonna get some fresh air." With an undertone of 'feel free to join me' that Akira heeded as he, too, came to a stand and followed Shindou outside into the balcony through the glass door.

The boy with bleached bangs turned his back and leaned against the half-wall, this time glancing inside where Sai, Ogata, Waya and Isumi sat, discussing a game they just played. He then sighed once more and tilted his head up to look at the dark night sky, feeling the cold breeze slipping through the back of his neck.

Akira crossed his arms on top of the brick partition and glanced at his friend. "Something on your mind?"

Shindou felt his hair strands tickling his cheek as he looked back into the apartment. "What do you think of Sai?"

One odd question after the other it seemed, Akira decided. "He's a wonderful teacher and a very nice company."

"Yeah," Shindou nodded lightly. "No wonder everyone flocks to him."

The 5-dan smiled, this time turning his head to look at the four, very distracted in their deep analysis with Sai swinging his arms around, flailing the oversized kimono sleeves with him and constantly hitting Ogata with it. "He's wise. It's like he sees right through you sometimes. I see that even Ogata-san can't hide from Fujiwara-sensei." Akira shifted his eyes to look at Shindou this time, who returned the gesture. "Whenever he's not with you, he's always with Ogata-san.

Shindou curled his lips at the mention of the two. "A very mismatched friend. I wonder how Sai can stand him."

"Really?" Akira blinked. "They are more alike than it seems. And besides, I think Fujiwara-sensei is a wonderful influence on Ogata-san. After all, he was the first one to stand up for him this afternoon when Fujiwara-sensei was accused of cheating."

Shindou's eyes widened and he jerked forward, heart suddenly stopping for a split second. "What?!"

"You didn't hear?" Akira frowned at the boy's apparent ignorance. "Fujiwara-sensei was trampling a 3-dan this afternoon and he accused him of cheating. Ogata-san immediately stepped in to defend Fujiwara-sensei. I heard that he came back and demolished the game." He didn't add the fact that he was surprised to hear it, as he could only imagine the trauma that Sai must have gone through the moment a finger started pointing at him. He wasn't exactly sure what transpired during the break and how Ogata managed to calm Sai down, but he was impressed by the Judan's ability to accomplish a seemingly difficult feat. They must have been a lot closer than he previously imagined.

Shindou, on the other hand, felt a sharp pain in the stomach as his breathing hitched. Sai didn't tell him and he wasn't there for Sai, _again._ He couldn't help feeling like an utterly useless friend. Shindou bit his lower lips, convincing himself that it was just as simple as Sai forgetting to say a thing and to not make a big deal out of it, but it was a hard battle. 

Had his position in Sai's life been replaced?

The reaction coaxed from Shindou made Akira finally understand what had been bothering him. Akira noticed the discomfort in Shindou's demeanour and he promptly placed a hand on his shoulder. That proved to be effective to calm Shindou down as he flinched and looked at Akira, feeling the warmth of his palm seeping through the fabric of his clothes.

"You are an irreplaceable friend for him, Shindou. I'm sure Fujiwara-sensei has his reasons for not telling you." He justified softly, watching Shindou's breathing slowly easing back to a normal pace. "Don't do anything you'll regret. Your relationship with him is hung by a thread as is and it will snap if you don't make him understand you."

Shindou's mind thoroughly processed what Akira just said and it pained him to see that a third party had a better grasp of the situation than he did. Truly, if it wasn't for Akira then everything would have went south for him and Sai. Shindou owed him everything and more, and it seemed like he wasn't done helping him yet. Akira had always been there for him in his moment of weakness when he felt the most fragile and vulnerable, like he was about to break into pieces, and Akira held him together all those times.

But that didn't stop him from loving Sai from the bottom of his heart. Sai was his friend and so was Akira. He would never be able to choose one over the other.

That must have been the case with Ogata and Sai too. There must have been something that Ogata could offer that he couldn't and maybe... maybe it was fine. Maybe it was for the best.

"Shindou, I want you to have a talk with Fujiwara-sensei to feel closure over your unhealthy obsession for him. It's killing you and it will break the two of you if it keeps going." Akira pressed his fingers around Shindou's shoulder a little tighter than before in a gesture of reassurance.

Shindou nodded, feeling his dry throat slowly being refreshed by cold air as he turned around and placed his elbows on top of the half-wall, looking up to gaze at the stars. "You know, Touya," He started. "You're an awesome friend sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Akira chuckled at the classic Shindou Hikaru attitude. The boy never admitted his affection for someone but Akira had always known that the boy truly enjoyed his company just as much as he did Shindou's.

Shindou laughed along with his rival, his best friend. "Just sometimes."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> - **On Ogata** : TBH if he doesn't have a strong connection like the one he _finally_ established with Sai, he probably won't take the story about Sai's past very well. I really wanted him to be enlightened a little earlier but I suppose it was for the best that I delayed it. Wouldn't make much sense otherwise.
> 
> - **On Sai** : I've been looking for the right time to touch on this whole 'cheating' accusation just to give him a bit of character development, I guess? And to give that bad memory some finality, also for him to finally realise that he has friends to depend on now and they won't let anything hurt him :) Life in the palace must've been lonely!
> 
> - **On Hikaru** : I originally wanted to make the issue of his possessiveness into a full-blown fight with Sai, but I think it's better for him to have a civilised discussion instead. It will show how much he has matured to finally be able to come to terms with everything :)
> 
> At this point, almost everyone's already got their ~meaningful conversation~ moments.  
> \- Ogata and Sai: started in CH11, cemented in this chapter  
> \- Hikaru and Akira: started in CH5, cemented in this chapter.  
> \- Akira and Sai: It's done and dusted in CH9.  
> \- Ogata and Akira: all done in CH15.  
> \- Hikaru and Sai: Kinda everywhere? I will cement it in next chapter.  
> \- Ogata and Hikaru: They just won't get anywhere without Hikaru finally coming to terms with Sai's tight relationship with Ogata, so they _have_ to be the lucky last.
> 
> Anyway, the last chapter will be the next one, and I might add a chapter 19 for an epilogue depending on how it's gonna go.
> 
> Please drop kudos/comments and such! Thanks for reading <3


	18. Towards The Hand of God

"I can't believe you're 18 already," Waya laughed, slapping Shindou on the back mischievously, making the boy scoff at him. "What? No one can tell that you're a full-fledged adult by the way you act."

"Like you're any better than me?" Shindou leaned in to take the brunette in a headlock and scruffed his hair roughly the way Waya would occasionally do to him.

"Dude, hey! Stop!" The older male protested and forcibly ripped himself away from Shindou, accompanied by laughter coming from Isumi's direction. "Anyway, I don't know what to give you, so here." He said, passing a small gift card to a bookstore that he knew his friend frequented. It was a large sum, meaning that Isumi had most likely contributed to it as well.

"This is perfect. Thanks!" Shindou grinned and put it in his backpack after reading the terms and conditions printed in small text on the bottom of the card.

"Are you doing anything special with Fujiwara-sensei this evening?" Isumi asked as he continued munching the cheeseburger in his hand, remembering that their teacher was playing his third oteai.

"We haven't really planned anything. Probably just gonna grab dinner or something." Shindou shrugged and promptly recalled how hysterical Sai had been that morning when he realised that it was Shindou's 18th birthday. He ran around the room as he brushed his hair and patted his kimono, putting on some purple lipstick while mumbling out loud what present to get him. Naturally, he said that presents wouldn't be necessary but Sai insisted until he finally gave in and resigned himself to whatever it was that Sai wanted to get him.

"Are you ready for the Hokuto preliminary?" The raven-haired male continued, remembering that it was a measly two months away.

"You mean am I ready to kick Touya's ass again? Hell yeah." Shindou grinned, thinking back to last year when everyone had been truly taken aback when they realised their favourite child prodigy had been bested by his rival, something that everyone thought would never happen in a hundred years. It was satisfying and he would be glad to do it all over again.

"I heard the all-age Hokuto's been finalised. They're choosing the candidates now," Waya muttered. "I'm pretty excited to hear who's going to be chosen. I hope Fujiwara-sensei will make it."

"He will!" Shindou protested at the doubt displayed by the brunette. "If he doesn't, I will personally walk up to whoever's in charge of choosing the candidates and punch some sense into them."

"Yeah, yeah. Sai's number one fanboy." Waya rolled his eyes after finally realising who the true fanboy was.

"Alright, I'm heading off now." The youngest one in the group said, completely ignoring what Waya said as it would probably take another two hours of his time to argue that he wasn't a fanboy. Besides, Sai should already finish his oteai for the day and most likely had started heading for the pub that they promised they'd meet at.

They bid their goodbye and Shindou took the bus. He was the first to arrive so he waited as he played NetGo through his mobile phone, sipping away on the glass of orange juice he ordered. The sun had completely set by the time Sai arrived, panting.

"Sorry, I'm late!" Sai ran towards the desk, voice apologetic.

"Took you long enough." Shindou scoffed, putting his phone in his pocket as he crossed his arms on the desk.

Sai had a neatly wrapped package on his hand and he extended his arm to give it to his student. It took him longer than he had anticipated but he managed to find something that he thought Shindou would love. "Happy birthday, Hikaru!"

Mood suddenly improved, Shindou came to a stand and received the gift and grinned at his teacher who immediately leaned in to take the boy into a tight hug that almost suffocated him. "Sai, Sai! I can't breathe!"

"Oh, sorry!" The man gasped and let go of the poor boy who wheezed as soon as he felt air entering his lungs.

"Geez, you're way too strong for someone who's so thin." Shindou complained before he took a seat once more. Sai only laughed bashfully as he followed suit and opened the menu that was already laid out on the desk.

Shindou carefully tore open the wrapping and made a small 'ooh' noise when he saw a kifu collection of a Korean professional that he had been wanting to lay his hands on but had been too rare for him to find in his usual bookstore. "Where did you find this?!"

"Seiji helped me." Sai giggled upon witnessing his student's excitement as he turned and flicked through the book. "It really wasn't easy. We finally found it in a small bookstore and it was the last item in stock."

"This is  _awesome_!" The boy beamed, skimming through a page and marvelling at the game displayed. "Thanks, Sai!"

"You're welcome." Sai smiled before once more focusing on the menu.

Shindou inhaled deeply when he remembered the exact purpose why he opted to take Sai out for a dinner instead of a quiet one at home. He wanted to finally settle his feelings once and for all so that the possessiveness that he had been battling would finally be doused. Closing the book, he swallowed thickly and looked at Sai.

However, before he could say anything, a group of teenagers walked inside and immediately noticed them sitting near the windows. One of them exclaimed loudly.

"Ah, Fujiwara-san!" And that was sufficient to take everyone's attention as they immediately crowded Sai and pretty much dragged him with them, telling him that they have a few games that they wanted him to take a look at.

Shindou sighed dolefully when he saw that Sai had been snatched out of his hand once more before he could say anything of value. Watching how he was immediately drowned among bodies who pretty much threw themselves at him and begging for a game on their tablets, Shindou resorted to crossing his arms on the desk and drumming his fingers noisily against it, eyes rolling. They could pick a better time to do this, surely, and not when Shindou finally had the courage to confront his teacher to discuss his repressed feelings. Sai really could be too nice sometimes. He should learn to brush off others so he wouldn't get so crowded all the time like that.

"He sure is popular, huh?"

Shindou turned his head to see Ogata next to him, white suit jacket between his body and arm and tie loosened slightly. He had a cigarette between his lips and dragged in a long breath before exhaling.

"I don't know how he does it, dealing with so many demanding fans all the time." The boy rested his chin on his palm, sighing and closing his eyes in resignation. "He needs to learn to put his foot down."

"He's just naturally nice. It won't really be Sai if he pushes others away now, would it?" He chuckled and Shindou, surprisingly, followed. Ogata glanced at where Sai disappeared to and he couldn't see head or tail of the man who probably was already deep in a game of Go of the sort. Then, he looked back at Shindou who seemed a little annoyed that his cherished friend had been kidnapped from him, during his birthday no less. "Come on, brat. I'll buy you a drink." He tilted his head towards the bar and walked off.

Shindou blinked at Ogata's back, not expecting the offer of company. After a few seconds of contemplation, he decided that it wouldn't hurt to have a bit of a conversation with him. Shindou just hoped that Ogata wouldn't pull an attitude that would provoke some screaming competition because frankly, almost everything that came out of his lips only served to rile him up. For now, he had the benefit of the doubt.

When Shindou sat on the bar stool, Ogata gestured at the bartender who regarded him with a smile and a nod before promptly turning his back and placed two shot glasses on top of the table. Watching the brown liquid filling them up, Shindou took the chance to glance Ogata who was looking in Sai's general direction with mild disinterest, but again, it was Ogata. He was a master at concealing his emotions.

"What's this? Is Ogata jealous?" Shindou chuckled with mirth, palming the shot glass in front of him as he readied himself to have his first taste of whiskey.

It was responded with a sharp glare as Ogata grabbed the glass and let the alcohol fill his throat in one swift motion before slamming it on the counter and waving at the bartender for some more. A reaction that Shindou definitely didn't anticipate. It was almost as if he really was jealous. "Bottom's up." Ogata glanced at the still-full shot glass in Shindou's hand.

Seeing the look of challenge, the younger male raised one of his eyebrows and immediately tipped the liquid into his mouth only to feel a sharp, crisp burning sensation in his throat as he coughed. Ogata laughed in satisfaction at the sight which was replied by a glare while Shindou wiped his lips with the sleeves of his shirt. "Who the hell enjoys this?!" He groaned in discomfort, feeling the searing aftertaste on his tongue.

"Backing out?" The man smirked smugly and all Shindou wanted to do was smack him in the face but his hunch said that Sai wouldn't be too happy if he found out that his student broke his friend's nose.

"I'll never lose to you, old man." The boy with bleached bangs hissed, slamming the bar which only served to turn up Ogata's laughter as he gestured at the bartender to refill Shindou's glass.

Twenty minutes and five shots later, both Shindou and Ogata were already far from sober as the effect of alcohol finally started to kick in. Akira seemed to appear at the worst possible time as he frowned at the two men, clearly not in their best state of mind and he stopped himself from saying his greetings when Ogata groaned loudly, stretching his body, almost hitting Akira's head in the process had he not ducked at the right time.

"Really though, what the hell's up with him?" The bespectacled male scoffed, once more glancing at Sai's general direction.

"Ugh, it's frustrating how everyone just kisses his feet when he appears. Sometimes I think I have to throw him in the garbage so no one will come so damn close." Shindou sneered along with Ogata, looking at the exact same direction that Akira couldn't help but follow as well.

"I doubt stench will be enough to keep anyone off him." The older male exhaled loudly, fingers playing with the lips of the shot glass. "And don't even get me started with his post-game on the shin-shodan. He literally didn't put up any resistance and let everyone just drown him."

"You don't even know the worst of it! The first day when he was admitted to the hospital, I thought a fucking prime minister fell ill or something. Like, twenty people literally burst inside at once. Poor Sai, he probably couldn't breathe. Because, I, for one, couldn't!"

"I can just imagine that," Ogata rolled his eyes. "Even my best death glare sometimes doesn't have any effect. It's kind of impressive, actually. And mildly terrifying. He might get kidnapped one day if he keeps that on."

"Considering that gets baited by a promise of a great game of Go? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised." Shindou slurred as he downed his sixth shot of the night, Ogata followed suit after his eyes glinted with admiration. The boy managed to keep up with him, after all. "How did you two ended up joined on the hips anyway?"

"You let your guard down," The older male smirked and chuckled deeply. "And it seems like it really annoys you, so I just keep at it. Before I know it, well. There he is."

"You're seriously screwed up in the head." Shindou laughed at the statement that would probably rile him up if he was sober. Behind him, Akira considered just leaving but decided to stay a bit longer to make sure neither of them would do anything dumb. "Ogata, you're allergic to human affection. How do you stand him? He's literally the most touchy-feely person in the whole world."

"Allergic is an understatement. Sometimes I wish I have the plague so everyone will just drop dead all around me," He snickered. "Sai's like... I don't know how to put it. Like... a sun. There's just something about him that makes you feel reassured and relaxed."

"The way he smiles when he says your name and the way he taps your shoulder to get your attention." Shindou crossed his arms on top of the bar, recalling the number of times he'd felt at home regardless of how terrible his mood was. With Sai next to him, he felt like he could do anything.

"That's it, that's it." Ogata nodded and Akira's frown started to be even more evident and strained by the second. The two in front of him were  _bonding_ over Sai. Of all the things for them to finally have a civilised discussion over, it had to be Sai. It wasn't an unwelcome change by all means but it was a little odd.

"You know, Ogata," Shindou glanced at the male with his peripheral vision. "You're not so bad, after all. I _might_ just give you my blessing."

Hearing that, streaks of red made their way on Ogata's cheek, making the flush even more prominent than it already was. So much for a master at keeping his emotion under control. "We are _not_ dating."

"Could've fooled me." Shindou laughed when he saw the flustered expression on Ogata, something that certainly didn't happen very often. "Come on, you hate people but you're pretty much all over Sai."

"Well, in that case, I'll give you and Touya my blessing." The bespectacled male retorted and before Shindou could scream his objection, Akira grabbed the boy by the back of his collar and tugged him to a standing position.

"You've had enough to drink! You too, Ogata-san! Don't pick on Shindou so much." Akira cut, embarrassment clear in his voice and cheeks. "And we are _not_ dating!"

"Ah, Touya! Lovely of you to finally show up." Ogata turned around and patted the boy on the back. "Why don't you join us as well?"

"Yeah, Touya! Come drink with us!" Shindou laughed along with Ogata and at that point, Akira was just exasperated. It appeared that Ogata and Shindou were the exact same type of drunk and he wasn't sure what to do with that information.

"You know what? I think I'll just call Fujiwara-sensei. He certainly won't be happy with you for tainting his precious student like this, Ogata-san." Akira put his arms on his hips and immediately, Ogata paled.

"Hey, now. Let's talk about this, alright? No need to involve Sai."

"Oh my god, are you _scared_ of Sai, Ogata?" Shindou cracked up.

"Well, aren't you?" He raised one of his eyebrows in an attempt to remind Shindou of the event that transpired just a few months ago in a certain pub where they first saw what happened when Sai's patience was worn thin enough to snap.

"....Point taken." Shindou agreed and pulled on Akira's arm, forcing him to stay. However, it seemed like it wasn't necessary as they saw a glimpse of Sai approaching them with a flowery look before he glanced at the bar top and shot Ogata a sharp glare that made the man almost jumped in his seat.

"Seiji, what do you think you're doing to Hikaru?!" Sai made his way to Shindou and pulled the boy into his chest while looking at Ogata in distaste.

"Uh," He stammered, face still red from the alcohol. "I'm sorry."

"And you should be!" The long-haired male curled his lips, not half as terrifying as he could be but still radiating the same mortifying aura nonetheless. Akira eyed Sai with pure, unfiltered admiration. After all, he literally had the cynical, condescending and calloused Ogata on a leash after only knowing him for a matter of months. "Pay up and let's go home."

"Yes. Okay." Ogata immediately complied and he left a few notes on the bar top before running after Sai who had stomped off in disappointment and anger, Shindou dragged along by the hand.

Akira hailed a cab and he jumped on the front seat with Sai in the middle of the back seat with Shindou passing out on his shoulder, muttering some inaudible words as Ogata desperately tried to win Sai back to his side, sputtering a few words of apology that Sai fantastically ignored. Akira started to wonder if this foreshadowed the fact that Ogata and Sai would eventually look like an 'old married couple' that everyone seemed to regard him and Shindou as.

"And you too, Hikaru! You have a match tomorrow. Do you have no respect for your opponent? This will inhibit your game! Do you even know who you are going up against tomorrow?!" Said Sai sternly that Shindou only regarded with a dismissive hum and disinterested stare outside the window. "Ah, you two are hopeless." Sai sighed in frustration, not sparing Ogata even a glance.

It seemed like the bickering was getting into the taxi driver as he eyed Akira carefully and chuckled. "Your parents are very young."

"Oh, uh. Yeah." He shrugged nervously, not wanting to really enlighten him on the very odd circumstances that made them look like one fresh, dysfunctional family who at a glance, would never get along at all. However, Akira knew better than that. Everyone's mutual love for Sai somehow managed to unite even the most mismatched of people such as Shindou and Ogata. It was truly enchanting how he managed to do it through the sheer power of his honesty and kindness alone that most definitely did not signify his weakness. Sai's constant display of grace and elegance, contrasted with his childish naivete made him extremely approachable while being sufficiently distant so that no one would dare trample all over him. Finding such harmony was exceedingly difficult due to what thin line separated the two traits.

"My apartment is only a few minutes away from the Institution by bus, so if you want, you can just stay there for the night. It'll spare the hour of travel in the morning." Ogata raised, speech slightly slurred. For the first time in fifteen minutes, Sai finally looked at the man, although lips still curled and all.

"Your bed isn't big enough for four people." He replied, couldn't help feeling slightly guilty for implying that Ogata should sleep on the sofa.

"I'm good with the couch." Ogata retorted nonchalantly and after a few moments of contemplation for Sai, he tentatively agreed. So, the four made their way towards their new destination and before long, they arrived.

Sai quickly helped Shindou to the bed after making sure that he was well-hydrated and hangover pills placed neatly on the bedside table by Ogata who then proceeded to walk to the balcony to have a smoke. Akira decided that a cold shower was in order and he borrowed Ogata's shirt although they were far too large on his slim figure. Sai sighed upon seeing how half-lidded his student was as he stirred on the king sized bed, rolling to the edge until he was about to fall only to be stopped by his teacher. 

"Hikaru, you shouldn't drink so much," The older male muttered as he crouched to pat the boy softly on the head, worry surfacing in his mind. "I know you're of age but don't let yourself get influenced by Seiji's bad habits."

"I only turn 18 once." Shindou mumbled under his breath, his voice becoming a little fainter as a sign that he was far too intoxicated to stay awake any longer.

"I know. Just don't make it a habit."  Sai replied with concern and there was a pregnant pause as Shindou stirred a little more, this time facing away from him.

"Sai," He called, taking Sai's attention. "What does Ogata have that I don't?" The addressed male was taken aback by the question and it took him a few seconds of silence to truly process what his student's true motive behind the query was. However, before he could further come up with the correct way of putting it, Shindou continued. "I rely on you for companionship, and Touya for support." He mumbled, a little inaudible as he dragged his words. "Is that how it works with you two?"

At that moment, Sai's eyes immediately softened. As suspected, his friendship with Ogata had troubled the boy enough to make him finally crumble and ask him about it. It was a wonderful first step, Sai thought. Even if he was far from sober, Shindou was finally able to voice his thoughts. Sai had always thought that his friend was hiding something from him, something that he deemed so embarrassing that he refused to discuss it. Perhaps this was it; the last piece of the puzzle they needed to put in place together to finally move on.

"Seiji is much like I am to you, Hikaru." Sai smiled fondly as he watched his student slowly turning his body to face him, eyes half-open and cheeks still flushed from the alcohol. "In his own way, he watches out for me."

"You take care of me," Shindou murmured tiredly. "And he takes care of you." His mind wandered to Akira and how all this time, he, too, had been watching out for Shindou. In that instant, the boy felt a little ashamed for letting himself be so weak he needed to be babied by his best friends. However, in order to finally stand on his own two feet, Shindou understood that he had to finally come to terms with allowing Sai the complete freedom to forge his own friendships. Something that certainly couldn't be done after only one talk, but only possible after a constant endurance that when got too much, needed to be let out. No matter how arduous it might seem, Shindou knew that Sai would never let go of his hand and neither would Touya.

Sai could see it in Shindou's eyes, how they seemed to glimmer with tears that finally overflowed and dripped from the corner of his eyes to the pillow. Shindou was fighting an internal battle but he was slowly but surely, emerging victorious in. The overwhelming emotion of jealousy that instilled within him, consuming him for all those times, he finally found the solution to.

"I'm sorry, Hikaru." Sai whispered softly as he ran his hand over the boy's head gently, the guilt of negatively impacting his student's life surfacing once more. "I appeared and agitated the calm water. You were just about to move on and I ruined your hard work."

"No," He denied loudly, louder than his voice had been for the past few minutes. "I'm glad you're here, Sai. So is Touya. And Ogata. And Isumi. And Waya. We're all so glad you're here." Shindou smiled weakly yet so sincerely that it warmed Sai's heart enough to hitch his breath in his throat. "You're loved, Sai. Don't ever apologise for existing."

"Hikaru," Sai choked out, voice broken with emotion. He had no idea how much he wanted to hear it from someone, a reassurance that he was not a thorn in anyone's side. Even though he knew full well that everyone had indirectly shown it through their actions, he desired to have someone spell it out for him. After a thousand years of being alone and isolated, only feeling the glimmer of the sun for a few years before it faded again, Sai was now face to face with such a bright light that enticed him to walk forward. "You're the best friend I can ever ask for."

Shindou bit laughed weakly as he felt a choking sensation in his throat and feeling moisture to stream out of his eyes faster than before. "I promise I'll be stronger, Sai. Whatever it is that bothers me, I promise that I won't hide it anymore. So, please..." He sniffed. "don't leave."

Nodding enthusiastically, Sai understood exactly what Shindou meant by it. It wasn't a plea to the gods to not rip them apart, but it was a request for Sai to keep on standing by his side until Shindou felt confident enough to finally let go of his hand.

"I promise." He smiled before slowly coming to a stand. "For now, you need a good rest."

"Yeah," Shindou chuckled. "Good night, Sai."

"Good night, Hikaru." He said, giving his student one last look of affection before turning to leave the bedroom. When he closed the door behind him softly, he was greeted with Akira who had a relieved look on him, eyes mellow.

"Did you two figure it out?" The boy asked as Sai wiped the tears from his eyes using his kimono sleeves, feeling a little bad for eavesdropping but the two were talking softly that he couldn't quite catch half of their conversation.

"It's all thanks to you, Touya-kun." Sai responded wholeheartedly. "We will never get here without your help."

"Ah, no," Akira rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "All I did was give him a soft push."

The older male giggled as he took the boy into a warm hug. "Please keep taking care of Hikaru. You are a wonderful friend to him, and a treasured one."

Akira returned the gesture and pulled his teacher, his friend, into a deeper embrace. "I will, Fujiwara-sensei."

They parted with a small smile and a good night as Akira entered the bedroom and Sai walking into the living room where Ogata was preparing the couch, extending the folded seat to create a makeshift bed complete with pillows and a blanket. He finally noticed the young professional standing in front of him and he glanced at him, seeing the relieved look and sagging shoulders. Ogata couldn't help being filled with the same emotion.

The bespectacled male bent to fetch a pack of IV bag stowed away underneath the coffee table and helped Sai to prepare it before inserting the needle into his arm.

"Did you want to take the couch?" He offered, voice low and soft, unlike his usual stern tone. "I can sleep on the ground."

Sai shook his head. "There's enough space for two."

After a few seconds pause of Ogata gauging the seriousness of the answer, he finally nodded in resignation and placed his hands on his hips. "Fancy a cup of tea? I think I have some chocolates too in the pantry."

Smiling at the hospitality that Sai knew full well was only reserved for him, he replied softly. "Gladly."

.

Shindou woke up with a killer hangover and Akira had anticipated this as he promptly passed the pills and glass of water on the bedside table to his friend as soon as the first groan was audible. There was no resistance from Shindou's side before he quickly swallowed the pill and coughed due to the speed in which he swallowed the water.

Akira exhaled as he watched his friend gulped what was left of the liquid only to ease up a few seconds later, face still pale. He placed both of his hands on his face and shook his head, trying his best to ignore the headache. Regrets were clear in his eyes as he once again threw himself on the bed and rolled over before covering the back of his head with a pillow. A few seconds later, Akira heard muffled groans.

"This is why you don't try to keep up with Ogata-san." The boy gave Shindou a look of pity. He wasn't exactly sure why the man decided to challenge the boy like that. Was it out of goodwill to keep him company or was it simply something more mischiveous? Akira didn't dare guess due to how much Ogata had changed these past few months.

"I'm gonna die." Shindou cried out, still hidden under the pillow. Nausea started to swell in his stomach and he regretted swallowing the pills before first throwing up. "Touya, I'm gonna  _die._ "

"Quit being a drama king. You won't die." Akira sighed as he came to a stand. "You can just take another pill if you do throw up."

Before stabilising, Shindou took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his stomach and that proved to be a little effective as he finally eased up to look at the time. He still had two hours before his oteai and hopefully, he'd feel a lot better by then or he would blame his loss on Ogata and he was sure that he would have Sai's utmost support.

"Did I do anything dumb yesterday?" He finally decided to ask. Although he wasn't drawing a blank of what happened yesterday, it was a little blurry and Shindou decided that it was better to know sooner rather than later if he had done anything irredeemable.

Akira chuckled, shaking his head lightly much to Shindou's relief. "But it seems that you managed to sort your problems out."

The boy with bleached bangs nodded as the memory came flooding back inside him. It hadn't been as thorough as he would've liked but it seemed that Sai understood the gist of it as they came to a mutual understanding at last. Now, it was just a matter of following up on the promise he made. Either way, the alcohol did help to loosen his tongue, as much as he hated to admit it.

Stepping out of the bedroom along with Akira, Shindou saw the IV drip next to the couch that had been extended out to create a bed. "Morning, Sai." He muttered, walking around to take a good look at his teacher who was probably still asleep considering that he wasn't an early bird unlike his initial assumption of him. "Oh my god." Shindou's face turned even paler than it already was. His voice cracked and it immediately raised Akira's concern as he picked up his pace to see what his friend witnessed.

"Oh." Akira simply said. In front of him, Sai had his head on Ogata's chest as they lightly snored, only stirring when Sai heard Shindou's voice.

"I think I'm gonna throw up." The boy made his way to the bathroom quickly when he felt his stomach churning. He hunched over the sink and retched away.

Ogata and Sai were alerted when they heard the noise and they quickly sat up, unaware as to why Akira's face was beet red. The bespectacled male raised one of his eyebrows, in which it was replied with Akira deciding that he didn't see anything as he turned away from Ogata and walked back into the bedroom to fetch the hangover pills, not wanting to say anything that would potentially make the situation awkward.

"Hikaru, are you okay?" The long-haired male panicked, one hand rubbing Shindou's back as he let the alcohol out of his system.

Shindou rinsed his lips and took a deep breath. "Just cheery." He replied before once more bending his back to throw up. Behind him, Akira entered with another glass of water that he handed his friend and when Shindou felt a little better, he took another pill. "Well, I guess we need to put Touya in the same predicament when his 18th birthday rolls around."

"No, thank you." Akira responded way-too-quickly as he handed him the hand towel located next to the sink and walked off to help Ogata who seemed like he was already busy in the kitchen if the clattering of plates was something to go by. And besides, he felt like it was necessary to give Sai and Shindou a bit of privacy just in case they would like to have a little talk.

It took Shindou a few minutes until he was comfortable enough to withdraw his hands from the sink and to finally look at Sai. He scratched the back of his head nervously, unsure of what to say to his teacher. The talk last night had been a little too abrupt for his liking and he was a bit worried that there might be some misunderstanding here and there as he couldn't entirely recall what he said.

Sai sensed the restlessness through the way his student shifted his weight from one foot to the other, completely silent. So, he took it upon himself to be the first to speak. "I'm sorry for not talking about it sooner. If I had known that it bothered you this much..."

"No, no. I'm the one who's at fault. I really should've communicated a bit better instead of just burying my feelings like that." Shindou laughed rather humorlessly before smiling. "You've been so out of touch with others for so long, yet I was too selfish to share. It's just a natural thing that you'd want to get out there."

There was only silence between them for a few moments before Sai finally responded. "It's rather embarrassing to admit, but..." He trailed off, a coy smile blooming on his lips. "Seeing how possessive you were of me made me feel alive." Sai lifted both of his hands and looked at them. "It was difficult to come to terms with having a real body once more and sometimes I'm scared that I would fade away just like that. Having you there while eyeing others with jealousy made me feel real, as selfish as it might be. So, the blame isn't entirely yours to carry."

Hearing that, Shindou felt himself relaxing and a soft laugh escaped from his throat. "I guess we're both just selfish." Sai had a valid reason for his own selfishness, Shindou realised. However, it didn't dismiss the fact that he was the one who caused most of the problems between them. Had he been strong enough, no dramas of this sort would've happened and that would've spared them a whole lot of hardship.

The boy glanced at the IV drip still attached to Sai's arm and sighed. "Hey, Sai." He called out. "Do you think the reason why the gods sent you back is to teach others the way you taught me?"

Hearing that, something resonated inside of Sai as his eyes sparkled with excitement. The thought of guiding those with potential truly brought him joy, and through what short time he had spent with Shindou, Ogata, Akira, Waya and Isumi, he realised that perhaps Shindou was right. Perhaps the reason why he was granted a second chance was to ensure that no talent would be left untapped. It was never the Hand of God to begin with. It was for him to guide _others_ to reach Hand of God.

"Yes." Sai nodded firmly. "I'm certain of it."

"Then," Shindou pursed his lips as an epiphany dawned on him. "Do you think the reason for your illness is because I tried to stop you from achieving it?"

Hearing that, the older male immediately shook his head and pulled the boy into a hug. "No, Hikaru. Don't blame yourself, please." He said. "I'm fine. Really. Even if it truly is the case, what matters is that we've worked through this. And you promised to tell me if anything at all is bothering you, didn't you?"

Shindou nodded against Sai's shoulder and pulled away, still feeling guilty at the fact that he was the potential cause for Sai's suffering. "Yeah." The boy retorted, forcing a smile. Sai responded by placing a hand on Shindou's back as they slowly made their way out of the bathroom and into the dining room where they could smell something amazing.

"Alright, brat," Ogata said, walking out of the kitchen with two plates of egg, bacon and cheese sandwich. Akira followed him shortly after with another two plates and he went back to fetch two cups of coffee and two cups of tea. "You're in luck because I specialise in hangover cure."

"Because you've been through that many hangovers?" Akira feigned a gasp of surprise that led Ogata to frown at him.

"Are you seriously picking on me now, Touya? I thought you're supposed to be the nice one." The bespectacled male sneered as he sat on a chair and grabbed a knife and a fork. Akira merely shrugged and Shindou burst out laughing, lifting his hand to give his friend a high five across the table. It was surprisingly answered.

Sai giggled at the sight before glancing at Shindou who in turn smiled back at him. Realising that this was going to be their new every day, Sai could barely sit still. He couldn't wait to see his students, his friends to grow together as they tackled whatever challenge may lie in front of them. The road was still far, but Sai knew they would be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If not to reach the Hand of God, they would at least be able to revel in each other's company and help each other through it.

There were still so many more experiences that he had yet to felt and opponents yet to fight. Sai anticipated the time when he would be able to play in a big stage against great players and more than that, he wanted nothing more than to realise his life goal: to teach. The one thing that he truly excelled in and felt solace in. And this time, he wasn't alone like how he was in the palace where the environment was stifling and everyone kept at a distance. This time, Sai had friends to keep him company and to take his hands when he felt like he was about to tumble.

He never realised just how lonely it was, those thousand years ago. But it was for the best. Because now he could truly appreciate what blessing he was granted with. All those years led him into this moment of unparalleled joy and if it was god's plan all along for him, he could hardly complain. He would be more than happy to do it all over again. Because for once in a thousand years, he finally felt alive and he would do anything in his power to ensure that it wouldn't leave his grasp anymore. Not if he could help it.

Sai gave Shindou a heartfelt smile and he softly inhaled, thankful for everything that his student had given him and he only wished that one day he would be able to repay his kindness. However, from the way Shindou returned his smile with one of his own, Sai knew that all he had to do was stand by him. So, with a small chuckle, he placed a hand on Shindou's shoulder.

"Did you know that I'm your Oteai opponent today?"

Shindou spat his food.

Sai couldn't wait to teach his student a lesson or two about getting smashed the day before his match.

(This is actually something I did for a [short comic](http://rhapshie.tumblr.com/post/172780508862). Thought it'll actually go along with this fic so I put it here!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue incoming! I might draw something nice then :)
> 
> Anyways, this is the end of the main plot. I hope that the ending's good enough and I hope that I touched on everything ^_^ if not, please do tell me and I'll tie the loose ends in the next, last chapter.
> 
> Thanks for sticking with the story for so long! It's been such an adventure and I'm glad that I decided to put it into words. All from one drawing, can you believe it?
> 
> Comments, kudos and bookmarks are highly appreciated! <3 Thank you so much for your wonderful support!!!!


	19. Quiescence

There was never any other answer to 'Will Sai be joining the all-age Hokuto Cup?' other than a hard yes and not a single doubt ever crossed anyone's minds. The sceptics had been completely assured that this young 25 years old talent was surely the Sai that everyone had been fawning over when the kifu of his Shin-shodan was released to the public. The quality of that game had been so exceptional, it was talked about everywhere, Korea, China, Japan and it had even reached the Western countries.

And so, it wasn't a surprise when he was handpicked for the Hokuto preliminaries along with other very recognisable names of Touya, Ogata and Kurata, the ones who managed to maintain their very solid record and stellar game quality. To join them, the other three title holders—excluding Shindou who had been pushed to the 18 and under, just as Akira had predicted, were also present on the day.

The fight had been an extraordinary one, with the eight fighting for the top three spot determined by their win/loss ratio in a round-robin format. Everyone had anticipated Touya versus Sai to be the last match of the preliminary just like in the movies, but it seemed that they were pleasantly surprised by how early their matchup was. The environment surrounding them was just as stifling as how it had been for Sai's shin-shodan, if not even more so, and the game they produced was simply stunning. At some point, Touya had a painfully obvious lead and everyone thought that at last, Sai would be toppled. However, they were wrong.

Sai carried over his winning streak, having bested Ogata in the third match, right after Touya. The Judan kept his ground against Sai and he put forth a valiant effort in defending against the legend's relentlessly effective attack. Everyone was taken aback not because of his slim loss of 2.5 moku but at how lively their game was. It was as if the two were having a friendly banter over the Go-ban, constantly exchanging ideas and snarky comments through their exciting moves. The ingenious game was expected from Sai, but certainly not from Ogata. It showed just how much impact Sai had on his Go ever since the Judan studied under him and it drew attention to Sai's other students who became the target of envy of many.

In the end, Sai secured the first board with his flawless 7 wins, followed by Touya with 6 and Ogata with 4.

On the contrary, for the 18 and under, Shindou completely flopped his match against Akira due to a stomach bug and was awarded the second board. Everyone just shook their heads and had stamped it as 'classic Shindou messing up an important match over something stupid'. However, Akira had gracefully requested a rematch in their discretion to determine who truly deserved the first board, a match in which Shindou still lost.

That result was sufficient for Go Weekly to carve the fact that Shindou was far too volatile to be deemed as a major threat to the Go world, in comparison to Akira who had been performing his best at every match. The three, technically two wins that rewarded him with the Gosei title were soon brushed off as anomalies. However, it didn't mean that he was erased from anyone's minds. They recognised him as a rising player that they would eventually have to worry about, and would have paid more attention to had Sai not been on the stage.

Regardless, the Japan teams were ready and never before have they ever had such intimidating international presence and boy, did they not disappoint.

.

"You cut your hair!" Shindou's jaw dropped when he saw that the length of Sai's hair had been halved, and the loose ponytail was replaced with a normal one. Gone was the traditional kimono and in place, he wore a long-sleeved black T-shirt and pale brown cotton pants.

Sai, munching on a chocolate doughnut, blinked. "Do I look strange?" Then, his expression churned into something darker when his student remained silent, too surprised to mutter anything. "I knew it! It's all Seiji's fault. He said I stick out like a sore thumb on the streets!"

"Did you not see everyone staring at you?" Adjusting his glasses, Ogata shook his head and passed Sai a tissue for him to wipe the chocolate stains all over his lips. "I did you a favour. Besides, you were pretty much dragging your hair on the ground. It was  _too_ long."

"I think this haircut looks good on you, Fujiwara-sensei," Akira smiled, watching how Sai looked at Ogata blankly until the Judan sighed in exasperation and violently wiped Sai's lips himself. "You look more youthful."

"This is gonna take a bit to get used to." Said Shindou as he scratched his head and mentally shook his head as he saw Sai pushing Ogata away in childlike frustration of being treated like a kid. "But I guess you're gonna blend in a bit better with casual wear on, especially in Korean streets."

"But Touya-sensei seems perfectly content with wearing kimono! I don't see why you're so taken in deciding my fashion." Sai was pretty much hitting Ogata mercilessly on the shoulder at this point, something that he had Shindou's full support on.

Instead of reacting defensively, Ogata laughed and grabbed Sai's arms, smirking. "Look, you have to dye your hair again too if you want to keep it purple." It appeared that Sai's transformation from ghost to human came with the fatal flaw of having black hair instead of his usual luscious vivid purple one.

"I can see your root too, Shindou." Akira leaned and pointed at the black that had started to grow amidst the yellow once more.

"Shut up, I can see yours too!" The boy brushed his friend off with his elbow before glancing at Ogata, making sure that his hair wasn't dyed like the rest of them. It was safe to say that it wasn't. A split second later, Shindou blinked and exhaled. "Anyways, I'm not here to have a fashion debate. I want you to comment on my game yesterday."

"Ah, the one you lost." Ogata chuckled condescendingly and Shindou tried his best to not punch him in the face.

It wasn't exactly his best game, he had to admit. The Chinese's second board was terrifying and was on equal footing with the first, someone who Akira toppled just by the skin of his teeth. It was clear that they came prepared with detailed and thorough information on their opponent's play style, unlike team Japan who had little data on theirs as they had never been too prominent. Perhaps, that was their greatest weapon of all.

Sai, on the other hand, snagged an overwhelming victory against the first board of the Chinese team just yesterday. The whole time, his opponent was perhaps far too intimidated by the aura he emitted during the fight, and how his eyes seemed to cut through him. It reminded him of Sai's shin-shodan match that he could confidently say that no one could possibly not get shaken at the sight.

"It's my game against Yeong Ha!" Shindou Said as he tugged on Sai's arm and dragged him towards his excessively large hotel room. "I played him yesterday night after dinner."

That piqued Akira's interest as he picked up his walking pace to advance alongside Shindou. He hadn't heard of this and he would very much like to see how it turned out. Their match last year had been an absolutely brilliant one, after all. "Who won?" After a moment of silence only accompanied by their footsteps, Akira finally questioned.

Shindou let out a small huff of pride as he pushed his chest forward and grinned. "Me, of course!"

"Why did you win against Yeong Ha but lost your second board match?" Ogata murmured something that Shindou decided to completely ignore.

"Oh?" Yashiro blinked when he saw the group that just walked into the room before his expression brightened when he realised that the identity of the strange man amidst familiar faces. "Fujiwara-sensei!" Kurata was in front of him and it seemed like both were in the middle of a game. Sai immediately made his way towards the two to observe the board with a sunny expression, eagerly observing how it was going.

"My, you really have improved, Yashiro-kun." His eyes sparkled in satisfaction upon seeing how far the man had gone in only a few months. Of course, Sai knew this much from seeing his third board match but had been far too distracted by discussing his', Touya's and Ogata's games to be able to pay close attention to the nitty-gritty of the other team's. However, now that he had time to take a deep breath and relax for a bit before the China versus Korea match tomorrow, he was awarded the opportunity to truly marvel at the young men's games.

"Come on, Sai. I want to show you  _my_ game!" Shindou quickly cut as he once more grabbed his teacher by the arm and dragged him to a free Go-ban.

"Make it quick. It's almost time for us to discuss ours too." Said Ogata as he took a cigarette stick and walked to the nearby open windows.

"Yes, I agree. We shouldn't bother Fujiwara-sensei for too long. After all, he needs to prepare for the coming match." Akira added but still deciding to sit facing the Go-ban Shindou and Sai occupied, extremely interested in what kind of match his rival got himself into when he wasn't present.

.

The crowd expected team Japan to put up an incredibly stiff fight, but no one had ever expected them to win both the 18 and under and the all-age Hokuto, with the latter having an almost perfect 6 wins had Ogata not fumbled on his match against the Koreans. It wasn't something that Sai didn't expect. After all, the man was still getting used to twisting his mind with his own flair for creativity. It was something that wouldn't happen in a few weeks, especially after spending years upon years rejecting the idea.

Shindou, who lost his match against the Chinese emerged victorious against Su Yong on their second board match by a comfortable amount. Touya had followed suit too, with Yashiro lagging slightly behind with a loss of a small margin.

Although to some people it just seemed like the Japan team lucked out this year, those who had been steadily watching the progression of the young players started to lift their guard up even more than they already did. Akira and Shindou, especially, had proven to instil fear into anyone who understood Go at all. Their growth had been unprecedented under Sai's tutelage and the time when their skills would finally ripen drew closer a lot quicker than they anticipated.

Su Yong experienced this first hand. Somewhere in the middle of the game, he faltered. He found himself biting his lower lip, fingers clenched tightly on the fabric of his cloth pants as he awaited Shindou's next move that would be a little more brilliant than the last. Akira and Shindou were on par, no, from the way the latter played that afternoon, he was a little more ahead than the prior. Shindou's only weakness was his instability, how he seemingly dipped every now and then only to stand back up a second after. Even though Yeong Ha warned him about this last night, he found himself in awe nonetheless.

"A social gathering?" Yashiro blinked, his interest piqued all while packing up his clothes back into his suitcase for the trip back to Japan tomorrow. "Like an afterparty?"

"I suppose so," Walking across the room to take all of his dirty laundries, Akira's voice was a little hesitant. "Well, they're doing it after the awards ceremony tonight, and Ogata-san asked if we were interested in attending as well, considering that we're over 18 now."

"Don't we need to wake up early tomorrow? Our flight's at 8 AM. Besides," After a few moments of pause, Shindou crossed his arms. "You should know by now what happens when that guy invites us somewhere."

"Fujiwara-sensei will be there too. He'll take care of us." Insisted Akira as he zipped up the largest of his luggage tight after making sure that the magnetic Go board was going to go to his carry-on baggage. Akira had never been one for parties, of course, especially ones involving alcohol. However, he knew that it was a good time for him to approach other international players to perhaps have some friendly games.

Knowing that there was no swaying the boy's determination, Shindou merely shrugged. "Alright. Won't hurt, I guess."

They arrived a little later than they would like to. The award ceremony had been succinct enough but the countless amount of bodies crowding them immediately after took them completely by surprise. Last year it had been quite similar but it appeared that this year was significantly worse as they shot questions after questions regarding Sai. The man in the topic, however, was nowhere to be seen. Shindou could only hope that he took refuge somewhere already before the rabid fans could catch up to him.

Somehow, someway, the three eventually managed to slip out of the adoring crowd. The afterparty would have long started since the clock said that it was already 10:30 PM.

"Oh my god, I thought I was gonna get suffocated." Yashiro wheezed, barely managing to keep himself together. "I'm not even Fujiwara-sensei's student, but they didn't care."

"That was the worst!" Shindou spat out his words as they quickly made their way to the venue. They could hear loud music muffled from behind the large double-door. Two guards noticed the young professionals and gladly let them in where they were immediately greeted with dim lighting, a pungent mix of tobacco and alcohol accompanied with loud voices echoing in the room.

There was a particularly large crowd surrounding a table that Shindou presumed was where Sai would be. The three approached the group and forced their smaller bodies between the older men and women's while muttering inaudible 'excuse me' as they did so. After a hard battle, they finally arrived in the eye of the storm where Sai, Ogata and Touya sat with a few others in a game of their own.

It seemed that they had been drinking quite a lot if the redness on their faces were anything to go by. Even Touya seemed to be affected and that took Shindou by surprise. He would have never expected to see the ex-Meijin consuming enough alcohol to bring him to verge of tipsiness.

_"Well, it's an exception, I guess."_ Shindou sighed, eyes softening as he placed his hands on his hips. There was much to celebrate, after all. Their victory, new company and more importantly, Sai. The boy watched as Ogata leaned into Sai's ear to whisper something that made the man giggle, followed with the Judan's swift and adept hands at filling Sai's empty glass with more cola and whiskey in what seemed to be a perfect ratio.

The two had undoubtedly grown extremely close and this time, Shindou was filled to the brim with nothing but joy for Sai. His teacher was more than content, he was elated and it was a refreshing sight to see him let loose, bursting with unrepressed laughter and emotion just like the Sai he knew. He deserved it and much more.

Shindou smiled as he turned around to wriggle his way out of the crowd once more, this time with Akira's curious eyes following him until all three of them were finally free once more.

"Shindou?" The first board raised, unsure as to why he decided against joining Sai. There was still plenty of space for him and even if there wasn't, anyone would most likely move over when Sai willed it.

Knowing full well what Akira wanted to ask, Shindou grinned and strolled towards a free table in the corner, a Go-ban placed neatly on it. "I think I'll just play you, Touya."

That answer was something that made Akira stop in his track for a moment, long enough for Yashiro to turn blank to blink at him. Slowly, however, a smile of relief bloomed on his lips as he once more stepped forward, this time understanding that his rival was finally comfortable enough to let go of Sai's hand.

Akira paced to converge with his rival and walk alongside him. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and his feet were no longer chained to the ground. The metal had been shattered, crumbled into dust. This time, he could walk with confidence.

.

The trip home was an uneventful one, as neither of the six had any sleep except for the responsible Touya's who promptly took care of the check-in and ensuring that no one was missing when they boarded the plane. As soon as they sat on the chairs, all remaining four immediately passed out and were snoring mess when the aircraft took off. At some point, Shindou and Yashiro's heads bumped that made them yell at each other momentarily until Ogata hit both of them, forcing them to be quiet and not disturb other passengers. Sai was fast asleep throughout the entire trip.

The two and a half hours plane trip was enough to fill up some gauge of their stamina as they were able to walk without dozing off in Narita airport.

"Then, I'll see you later, Fujiwara-sensei, Shindou." Akira smiled, bowing slightly as he entered the taxi they called, letting the driver pop their belongings in the baggage area. Yashiro followed suit as the boy decided to stay over at Akira's for a few days to hopefully get some Go practice against other professionals in Tokyo.

"See you soon!" The two waved their goodbyes.

Ogata hailed a cab of his own shortly after. As the driver loaded his luggage into the car, Ogata adjusted his glasses and turned to face Sai. "Get a good rest, Sai."

"You too, Seiji." Sai's smile was as bright as it was affectionate before he leaned in to give the Judan a small hug. This time, Ogata didn't hesitate to return the gesture.

When the cab drove off, the corner of Shindou's lips tugged to form a smile. "Are you sure you two aren't dating?"

"W-what?!" Sai stammered, his face beet red at his student's suggestion. "S-Seiji and I are just... friends."

"Uh-huh." Teased the boy as he nonchalantly rested the back of his head on his interlaced fingers. He watched their cab drawing close as Sai rose up to defend himself from the accusation, but it all went out of Shindou's other ear as the vehicle eased forward, towards their home.

Mitsuko showered both Sai and Shindou with compliments as soon they stepped into the house, telling them about how she saw the outcome of their matches on the newspaper. She promised to cook a feast for the family as soon as Matsuo finished work. It was very kind of her to discuss it, even asking Sai if he could teach her a thing or two about Go. Shindou only managed to stop her by informing her of their combined income that would be transferred to their bank accounts next week. The two took the chance to quickly escape into Shindou's bedrooms with childish chuckles.

"Sai, you can use the shower first. I have something I want to do." Shindou smiled as he set the backpack next to his bed from his shoulder and dragged their suitcases to the corner of the room.

"Alright!" The older male chirped, leaving the bedroom not a moment too soon. His footsteps echoed against the floorboards.

Shindou's movement was flush, just like naturally flowing stones atop a glazed Go board as he bent to lift the legged-Go-ban that his grandfather gifted him years ago and moved it in the middle of the room. He sat in front of it, blowing the dust away and used the sleeves of his jacket to clean it, bringing out the beautiful glaze prior to opening the Go-ke and laying down a few stones with precision.

His eyes were soft and full of reminiscence as he carried out the act with absolute perfection, as solid as four outside-facing connected stones that would ensure their opponents cower at sight. The complexion of the beads was familiar on his fingertips, their temperature and texture memorised. It was something that came as naturally as breathing and he would never, ever, let it escape his grasp. Not for anything.

When Sai returned and glanced at the board, his eyes were filled with a galaxy of emotions, but none of them came close to melancholy. The man smiled as they locked their gazes at each other challengingly, invitingly. Sai was drawn to the Go-ban and before he realised it, he was seated in seiza in front of his student, his best friend.

"Shall we continue where we left off?" Shindou's voice resonated with life, soft and cool as a breeze blew into the room through the open windows, stroking the curtain and the boy's hair, wrapping the two with a thin veil of inwardness only shared between those whose bond remained strong even after faced with agony and suffering.

Sai, unwavering in his tone, sharpened his eyes and pierced through his student. He nodded, more than prepared to finally place the last piece of the puzzle in their story and rectify tragedy into euphoria, hardship into contentment.

When he placed a white stone on top of the board, Sai and Shindou were certain that they were there to stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap!  
> (and in case it's not clear, Hikaru and Sai are finishing the game from when Sai disappeared)
> 
> Thank you so much for all of the continued support that really motivated me to write, especially those of you who took your time to kindly drop some comments and words of encouragement. Truly, they helped me to expand the premise and finally give it a conclusion.
> 
> I do apologise for lack of art for this final chapter as I've been too busy to sketch out anything of value (with the exception of my self-indulgent OgaHika shenanigans, that is).
> 
> You guys have been such amazing audiences! THANK YOU! I will be writing a May 5 fanfic of Sai and Hikaru, hopefully, see you then!!!!


	20. Illustration Collection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the illustration for this fic in one chapter in case anyone would like to see it all :)  
> 

**CHAPTER 1**

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 3**

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 5**

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 8**

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 9**

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 10**

****

This is actually my favourite one :)

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 11**

****

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 12**

****

****

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 13**

****

****

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 14 &15**

****

****

AARGH! SO BIG!

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 16**

****

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 17**

****

 

 

* * *

 

**CHAPTER 18**

****

****


End file.
